Poster Presentation The 16th Australian Peptide Conference 2025

Dissecting the tripartite interaction of pain-causing stinging nettle peptides with TMEM233 and sodium channels (#141)

Qing Xu 1 , Hue Tran 1 , Lucinda Walker 1 , Tabea Klasfauseweh 1 , Jennifer R. Deuis 1 , Irina Vetter 1 2
  1. Centre for Chemistry and Drug Discovery, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4074, Australia
  2. School of Pharmacy, The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia

Voltage-gated sodium (NaV) channels have been extensively investigated as therapeutic targets for pain. Gympietides are a family of pain-causing peptides derived from Australian stinging trees that modulate NaV1.7 by targeting TMEM233, a transmembrane protein belonging to the dispanin family. This mechanism of action contrasts with that of numerous animal venom-derived neurotoxins, which directly target the pore-forming alpha-subunit of NaV channels to modulate channel activity. In this study we sought to understand the structure-activity relationship between the gympietide Excelsatoxin A (ExTxA) and both TMEM233 and NaV1.7. Protein-protein interactions between peptides and TMEM233 were assessed using interaction assay AlphaScreen. Functional activity at NaV1.7/TMEM233 complex was assessed using FLIPR membrane potential assays and automated patch-clamp electrophysiology. Alanine-scanning mutagenesis and single-residue substitutions identified R3, R13, T22 and D35 as residues critical for activity. ExTxA[R3E] and ExTxA[R13E] lost 6-fold and 12-fold potency at TMEM233 respectively, indicating that they are important for TMEM233 interaction. Conversely, ExTxA[T22I] and ExTxA[D35R] retained comparable binding potencies to TMEM233 as native ExTxA in the AlphaScreen binding assay, yet demonstrated 70% and 80% reductions in efficacy respectively, suggesting that T22 and D35 are primarily involved in NaV1.7 interaction. These findings provide initial insights into the tripartite interaction between gympietides, TMEM233 and Nav1.7, offering a foundation for the rational design of novel dispanin-targeting analgesics.