Journal
JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
Volume 63, Issue 22, Pages 13709-13718Publisher
AMER CHEMICAL SOC
DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.0c01202
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Funding
- Carlsberg Foundation [2013_01_0333]
- Lundbeck Foundation [R289-20182074, R139-201212390]
- Tech Transfer Office, University of Copenhagen
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Venomous snakebites cause >100 000 deaths every year, in many cases via potent depression of human neuromuscular signaling by snake alpha-neurotoxins. Emergency therapy still relies on antibody-based antivenom, hampered by poor access, frequent adverse reactions, and cumbersome production/purification. Combining high-throughput discovery and subsequent structure-function characterization, we present simple peptides that bind alpha-cobratoxin (alpha-Cbtx) and prevent its inhibition of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) as a lead for the development of alternative antivenoms. Candidate peptides were identified by phage display and deep sequencing, and hits were characterized by electrophysiological recordings, leading to an 8-mer peptide that prevented alpha-Cbtx inhibition of nAChRs. We also solved the peptide: alpha-Cbtx cocrystal structure, revealing that the peptide, although of unique primary sequence, binds to alpha-Cbtx by mimicking structural features of the nAChR binding pocket. This demonstrates the potential of small peptides to neutralize lethal snake toxins in vitro, establishing a potential route to simple, synthetic, low-cost antivenoms.
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