Productcode:NMB001.Category:Mechanosensitivechannels.
AAsequence:Phe-Asn-Trp-Arg-Cys-Cys-Leu-Ile-Pro-Cys-Arg-Arg-Asn-His-Lys-Lys-Phe-Phe-Cys-NH2
Disulfidebonds:Cys5-Cys19andCys6-Cys10
Length(aa):19
Formula:C111H164N36O21S4
MolecularWeight: 2467.03Da
Appearance:Whitelyophilizedsolid
Solubility:aqueousbuffer
CASnumber:notavailable
Source:Synthetic
Purityrate:>95%
Littleisknownaboutthemolecularbasisofsomatosensorymechanotransductioninmammals.Wescreenedalibraryofpeptidetoxinsforeffectsonmechanicallyactivatedcurrentsincultureddorsalrootganglionneurons.Oneconopeptideanalogue,termed
NMB-1fornoxiousmechanosensationblocker1,selectivelyinhibits(IC501mM)sustainedmechanicallyactivatedcurrentsinasubsetofsensoryneurons.BiotinylatedNMB-1retainsactivityandbindsselectivelytoperipherinpositivenociceptivesensoryneurons.TheselectivityofNMB-1wasconfirmedbythefactthatithasnoinhibitoryeffectsonvoltage-gatedsodiumandcalciumchannels,orligand-gatedchannelssuchasacid-sensingionchannelsorTRPA1channels.Conversely,thetarantulatoxin,
GsMTx-4,whichinhibitsstretch-activatedionchannels,hadnoeffectsonmechanicallyactivatedcurrentsinsensoryneurons.Inbehavioralassays,NMB-1inhibitsresponsesonlytohighintensity,painfulmechanicalstimulationandhasnoeffectsonlowintensitymechanicalstimulationor
Thermosensation.Unexpectedly,
NMB-1wasfoundtoalsobeaninhibitorofrapidFM1-43lo
ADIng(ameasureofmechanotransduction)incochlearhaircells.Thesedatademonstratethatpharmacologicallydistinctchannelsrespondtodistincttypesofmechanicalstimuliandsuggestthatmechanicallyactivatedsustainedcurrentsunderlienoxiousmechanosensation.
NMB-1thusprovidesanoveldiagnostictoolforthemoleculardefinitionofchannelsinvolvedinhearingandpressure-evokedpain.DrewLJ.,etal.(2007)PLoSONE
Thesomatosensorysystemmediatesfundamentalphysiologicalfunctions,includingthesensesoftouch,painandproprioception.Thisvarietyoffunctionsismatchedbyadiversearrayofmechanosensoryneuronsthatrespondtoforceinaspecificfashion.Mechanotransductionbeginsatthesensorynerveendings,whichrapidlytransformmechanicalforcesintoelectricalsignals.Progresshasbeenmadeinestablishingthefunctionalpropertiesofmechanoreceptors,butithasbeenremarkablydifficulttocharacterizemechanotranducerchannelsatthemolecularlevel.However,inthepastfewyears,newfunctionalassayshaveprovidedinsightsintothebasicpropertiesandmolecularidentityofmechanotransducerchannelsinmammaliansensoryneurons.Therecentidentificationofnovelfamiliesofproteinsasmechanosensingmoleculeswillundoubtedlyaccelerateourunderstandingofmechanotransductionmechanismsinmammaliansomatosensation.DelmasP.,etal.(2011)Nature