Oral Presentation 8th Venoms to Drugs 2023

The Sobering Sting: A Novel Cone Snail Venom-Derived Antagonist of Cannabinoid Receptors (#17)

Dongchen An 1 , Guilherme Salgado Carrazoni 2 , Ben-Hur Souto das Neves 2 , Rudi D’Hooge 2 , Jan Tytgat 1 , Steve Peigneur 1
  1. Toxicology and Pharmacology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
  2. Laboratory of Biological Psychology & Leuven Brain Institute, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

Cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2) are promising targets for diverse diseases, such as pain, inflammation, and neurological diseases. However, only a few ligands of CB receptors have reached clinical application so far. In the present study, we focused on the venom of Stephanoconus snails and found an endocannabinoid-like molecule, oleoyl serotonin (OS), active on CB1 and CB2. To determine the effects of OS, CB1 and CB2 receptors were functionally expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes, together with the G protein-coupled inwardly rectifier potassium channels (GIRK1/2), and a regulator of G protein signaling (RGS4). Ion currents were measured with a two-electrode voltage-clamp system. Results show that OS competitively blocks GIRK1/2 currents induced by WIN55,212-2 (WIN), a non-selective CB agonist, in the CB1-GIRK1/2-RGS4 system. Interestingly, OS acts as a competitive antagonist of CB1 receptors and as a non-competitive blocker of CB2 receptors. To the best of our knowledge, OS is the first venom-derived ligand modulating CB receptors. Furthermore, OS does not show significant activity on serotonin, histamine, opioid and nicotinic receptors, TRP channels or voltage-gated sodium, potassium or calcium channels. To investigate the critical domains of the CB receptor for OS activity, we constructed a chimeric CB1/2 receptor by replacing the transmembrane domain V (TMV)-intracellular loop 3 (ICL3)-TMVI domain (TMV-ICL3-TMVI) of the CB2 receptor with that of the CB1 receptor. Structure-function studies revealed that the TMV-ICL3-TMVI domain of the CB2 receptor is essential for OS to exert its antagonistic effect on CB2 receptors. Furthermore, in vivo evaluation of OS on brain-related neurological functions in mice suggests that OS has an anxiolytic effect, diminishing the stress response in stressful situations. This study highlights the potential of animal venom components as a promising library for the discovery of novel CB receptor ligands.