Single Amino Acid Substitution in α‑Conotoxin TxID Reveals a Specific α3β4 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Antagonist

The α3β4 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) is an important target implicated in various disease states. α-Conotoxin TxID (1) is the most potent antagonist of α3β4 nAChR, but it also exhibits inhibition of α6/α3β4 nAChR. The results of alanine scanning of 1 suggested a vital role for Ser9 in the selectivity of the peptide. In this study, Ser9 was substituted with a series of 14 amino acids, including some non-natural amino acids, displaying different physicochemical characteristics to further improve the selectivity of 1 toward α3β4 nAChR. The pharmacological activities of the mutants were evaluated using an electrophysiological approach. The best selectivity was obtained with [S9K]­TxID, 12, which inhibited α3β4 nAChR with an IC50 of 6.9 nM and had no effects on other nAChRs. Molecular modeling suggested a possible explanation for the high selectivity of 12 toward α3β4 nAChR, providing deeper insight into the interaction between α-conotoxins and nAChRs as well as potential treatments for nAChR-related diseases.