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Skin Secretion of Siphonops Paulensis (Gymnophiona, Amphibia) Forms Voltage-Dependent Ionic Channels in Lipid Membranes

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Skin Secretion of Siphonops Paulensis (Gymnophiona, Amphibia) Forms Voltage-Dependent Ionic Channels in Lipid Membranes Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research (2003) 36: 1279-1282 Channel-forming toxins in Siphonops skin secretion 1279 ISSN 0100-879X Short Communication Skin secretion of Siphonops paulensis (Gymnophiona, Amphibia) forms voltage-dependent ionic channels in lipid membranes E.F. Schwartz1, 1Laboratório de Toxinologia, Departamento de Ciências Fisiológicas, A. Stucchi-Zucchi2, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, Brasil C.A. Schwartz1 and 2Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, L.C. Salomão2 São Paulo, SP, Brasil Abstract Correspondence The effect of the skin secretion of the amphibian Siphonops paulensis Key words E.F. Schwartz was investigated by monitoring the changes in conductance of an • Siphonops Laboratório de Toxinologia artificial planar lipid bilayer. Skin secretion was obtained by exposure • Toxin Departamento de Ciências of the animals to ether-saturated air, and then rinsing the animals with • Channel-forming toxins Fisiológicas, UNB distilled water. Artificial lipid bilayers were obtained by spreading a • Skin secretion 70910-900 Brasília, DF • solution of azolectin over an aperture of a Delrin cup inserted into a Ion channel Brasil • Hemolysin Fax: +55-61-274-1141 cut-away polyvinyl chloride block. In 9 of 12 experiments, the addi- E-mail: [email protected] tion of the skin secretion to lipid bilayers displayed voltage-dependent channels with average unitary conductance of 258 ± 41.67 pS, rather Publication supported by FAPESP. than nonspecific changes in bilayer conductance. These channels were not sensitive to 4-acetamido-4'-isothiocyanatostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid or tetraethylammonium ion, but the experimental protocol used Received October 14, 2002 does not permit us to specify their characteristics. Accepted May 13, 2003 Amphibian skin secretion is considered heart was due to the hemolytic activity on red to be a rich source of bioactive substances, blood cells, leading to an increase in K+ which include biogenic amines, sterols, al- concentration in the medium (4). It was also kaloids, peptides, and proteins. These com- shown that the treatment of S. paulensis skin pounds have different biological activities, secretion with red blood cell ghosts inhibited such as, myo-, cardio-, or neurotoxic, choli- hemolysis (3). On the basis of these results, nomimetic, sympathomimetic, anesthetic, he- we decided to investigate the effect of S. molytic, hallucinogenic, cytotoxic, and anti- paulensis skin secretion on the conductance biotic activities (1). Most studies have fo- of planar lipid membranes. cused on anuran species, whereas there are Adult S. paulensis were collected in only a few studies on the toxicity of the skin Formosa (GO, Brazil), and maintained alive of caecilian amphibians, although in 1940 in native soil in the Laboratory of Toxinology, Sawaya (2) demonstrated the cardiotoxicity University of Brasília. In order to obtain the of the skin secretion of Siphonops annulatus. skin secretion the animals were carefully A similar cardiotoxic action of S. paulensis washed with distilled water and exposed to skin secretion on toad heart bioassays was diethyl ether-saturated air in a closed con- reported more recently (3). It was shown that tainer. Then, the animals were rinsed with the blockade of electrical activity of toad distilled water. The protein content of the S. Braz J Med Biol Res 36(9) 2003 1280 E.F. Schwartz et al. paulensis skin secretion was measured (5) formation was followed by measuring mem- using bovine serum albumin as a standard brane capacitance. After the addition of 10 and was used as reference for toxin content. µl of S. paulensis skin secretion solution to Artificial lipid bilayers were obtained by the cis-compartment, changes in bilayer con- spreading a solution of azolectin dissolved ductance were monitored using an Axopatch in n-decane (10 mg/ml) over an aperture 200A amplifier, visualized on a digital oscil- (0.33 mm) of a Delrin cup, which was in- loscope (Gould Instruments Systems, Valley serted into a cut-away polyvinyl chloride View, OH, USA), and recorded in digital block, delimiting two compartments, i.e., form on videotape (Sharp, Mahwah, NJ, cis-side and trans-side. These two chambers USA) employing an analog-digital converter were filled with 3.5 ml each of buffered salt (PCMb2, Medical Systems Corp., Greenvale, solutions, pH 7 (10 mM HEPES-Tris), of the NY, USA). For analysis, the analog signal following compositions: 150 mM KCl, 15 derived from the digital record was passed mM NaCl plus 100 µM CaCl2 on the cis- through an 8-pole Bessel filter, with the side, and 150 mM NaCl, 15 mM KCl plus corner frequency (-3 dB) set at 500 Hz, 100 µM CaCl2 on the trans-side. Membrane digitized using an analog interface (Digidata Figure 1. Typical example of the channel activity formed by C -30mV toxin(s) from skin secretion of Siphonops paulensis incorpo- O rated into the lipid bilayer. The channel clearly shows voltage dependence. In C, the channel is in the closed state, and in O C the channel is open. -20 mV O C -10 mV O C 0 mV O C 10 mV O C 20 mV O C 30 mV 6 pA 200 ms Braz J Med Biol Res 36(9) 2003 Channel-forming toxins in Siphonops skin secretion 1281 1200, Union City, CA, USA) at a frequency disulfonic acid (SITS, 1 mM, added to the cis- of 3000 Hz and recorded directly on a per- compartment) did not modify the channel ac- sonal computer. Data were analyzed using tivity. A typical current-voltage relation for a the pCLAMP-6 system (Axon Instruments, single channel is plotted in Figure 2B. Under Union City, CA, USA). Vc corresponds to the experimental conditions used, the Ic vs Vc the potential difference between the cis- and relations were nearly linear. From the slope of the trans-side (ground). By convention, a the linear regression curve of the Ic vs Vc positive current reflects the flow of cations relations the single channel conductance aver- from the cis- to the trans-compartment or the aged 258 ± 41.67 pS (N = 6). flow of anions in the opposite direction. Lysins have been isolated from the venom In 9 of 12 experiments, addition of S. of different animals, as well as from bacteria. paulensis skin secretion at a final concentra- Some of them have been shown to cause lysis tion of 6.4 µg/ml to the cis-compartment of the by opening pores, or forming channels in the lipid bilayer led to changes in membrane con- cell membrane. Cecropins (6), δ-toxin from ductance. However, instead of nonspecific Staphylococcus aureus (7), Actinobacillus changes, typical channel activities were ob- pleuropneumoniae exotoxins (8), Bordetella served up to 15 min after the addition of S. pertussis adenylate cyclase toxin (9), Vibrio paulensis skin secretion (Figure 1). Moreover, cholerae hemolysin (10), Escherichia coli α- the activity of the channel was voltage-de- hemolysin (11), Proteus vulgaris and pendent. Clearly, the open probability is re- Morganella morganii hemolysins (12), aero- duced as the voltage increases over the range lysin from Aeromonas hydrophila (13,14), of -30 mV to 30 mV. Near zero mV and at gramicidin A from Bacillus brevis and positive voltages, transitions to the open state alamethicin from Trichoderma viride (15), were greatly reduced (Figure 2A). When the melittin (16,17), and sticholysin from the sea voltage was clamped at zero there was no anemone Stichodactyla helianthus (18) have current, although the asymmetrical distribu- all induced channel formation in lipid mem- tion for sodium and potassium provided chem- branes. ical gradients for ion flows. Tetraethylammo- In the present report we describe the nium ion (TEA, 0.1 mM, added to the cis- occurrence of a channel-forming compound compartment), a potassium channel blocker, in an amphibian skin secretion. The skin had no effect on open probability. A com- secretion of the caecilian S. paulensis has monly used chloride channel blocker, 4- been shown to contain a hemolytic substance acetamido-4'-isothiocyanatostilbene-2,2'- (3). This skin secretion was able to form Figure 2. A, An example of the AB12 effect of Vc on the open prob- ability (Po) in asymmetrical solu- 0.18 tions for sodium and potassium. Po The channel is virtually closed at 6 positive voltages. B, Typical 0.12 Ic (pA) single-channel current (Ic) vs clamped voltage (Vc) relation in asymmetrical solutions for Na+ and K+. The average single- 0.06 -40 -20 20 40 channel conductance was 258 V (mV) c ± 41.67 pS. Buffered salt solu- tions: 150 mM KCl, 15 mM NaCl -6 plus 100 µM CaCl2 on the cis- -40 -20 0 20 40 side, and 150 mM NaCl, 15 mM KCl plus 100 µM CaCl on the Vc (mV) 2 -12 trans-side. Braz J Med Biol Res 36(9) 2003 1282 E.F. Schwartz et al. voltage-dependent channels in azolectin voltages the open probability is minimal. membranes. Although S. paulensis hemol- Additions of ion channel blockers such as ysin has not yet been purified, we suggest TEA and SITS did not modify the open that the mechanism of red blood cell lysis probability. The experimental protocol used involves the insertion of the hemolysin in the does not permit to characterize the channel. membrane and channel formation. It suggests, however, that this could be a As can be seen in Figure 1, the addition of chloride channel which would not be blocked S. paulensis skin secretion to the lipid bi- by SITS, or a cation channel that does not layer resulted in the incorporation of volt- discriminate between Na+ and K+ ions. age-dependent channels with unitary con- Further studies are necessary to purify ductances of 258 ± 41.67 pS. It can also be and isolate the hemolytic compound and observed that for null electrical gradients the clarify the ion selectivity and mechanism of current is zero.
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