A novel "weak toxin" (WTX) from Naja kaouthia snake venom competes with [125 I]␣-bungarotoxin for binding to the membrane-bound Torpedo californica acetylcholine receptor (AChR), with an IC 50 of ϳ2.2 M. In this respect, it is ϳ300 times less potent than neurotoxin II from Naja oxiana and ␣-cobratoxin from N. kaouthia, representing short-type and long-type ␣-neurotoxins, respectively. WTX and ␣-cobratoxin displaced [125 I]␣-bungarotoxin from the Escherichia coli-expressed fusion protein containing the rat ␣7 AChR N-terminal domain 1-208 preceded by glutathione S-transferase with IC 50 values of 4.3 and 9.1 M, respectively, whereas for neurotoxin II the IC 50 value was >100 M. Micromolar concentrations of WTX inhibited acetylcholine-activated currents in Xenopus oocyte-expressed rat muscle AChR and human and rat ␣7 AChRs, inhibiting the latter most efficiently (IC 50 of ϳ8.3 M). Thus, a virtually nontoxic "three-fingered" protein WTX, although differing from ␣-neurotoxins by an additional disulfide in the N-terminal loop, can be classified as a weak ␣-neurotoxin. It differs from the short chain ␣-neurotoxins, which potently block the muscle-type but not the ␣7 AChRs, and is closer to the long ␣-neurotoxins, which have comparable potency against the above-mentioned AChR types.
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