Metallopeptidase Inhibitors of Tetanus Toxin: A Combinatorial Approach

International audienceThe bacterial protein tetanus toxin (TeNt), which belongs to the family of zinc endopeptidases, cleaves synaptobrevin, an essential synaptic protein component of the neurotransmitter exocytosis apparatus, at a single peptide bond (Gln(76)-Phe(77)). This protease activity is a particularly attractive target for designing potent and selective synthetic inhibitors as a possible drug therapy for tetanus. beta-Aminothiols mimicking Gln(76) of synaptobrevin have been previously shown to inhibit the tetanus neurotoxin enzymatic activity in the 35-250 mu M range. These compounds have now been modified to interact with S' subsites of the TeNt active site, with the aim of increasing their inhibitory potencies. Combinatorial libraries of pseudotripeptides, containing an ethylene sulfonamide or an m-sulfonamidophenyl moiety as the P-1 side chain and natural amino acids in P-1' and P-2' positions, were synthesized. The best inhibitory activity was observed with Tyr and His as P-1' and P-2' components, respectively. This led to new inhibitors of TeNt with K-i values in the 3-4 mu M range. These molecules are the most potent inhibitors of TeNt described so far

A Sensitive and Rapid Fluorescence-Based Assay for Determination of Tetanus Toxin Peptidase Activity

International audienceThe light chain of tetanus toxin (TeNT-L chain), endowed with a zinc metalloendopeptidase activity, cleaves specifically the vesicle-associated membrane protein (VAMP), also called synaptobrevin, at a single peptide bond (Gln76-Phe77), resulting in the blockade of neuroexocytosis. The 50-mer synaptobrevin peptide S 39-88, synthesized by solid-phase peptide synthesis, was determined to be the minimum substrate of TeNT still notably hydrolyzed by TeNT-L chain. In this peptide, Tyr88 was substituted by the highly fluorescent amino acid (L) pyrenylalanine (Pya) which was synthesized in good yields by an enantioselective method. The fluorescent substrate [Pya88] S 39-88 was cleaved four times more rapidly by TeNT-L chain than S 39-88 (kcat/Km = 9635 and 2455 M-1.min-1, respectively). One of the two metabolites formed by the action of TeNT L chain, [Pya88] S 77-88, was easily separated from the substrate in one step using Sep-Pak Vac C18 cartridges and its concentration quantified by fluorescence. This novel enzymatic assay, which could be easily extended to other clostridial neurotoxins, is a major improvement in term of sensitivity and time saving, compared to currently used methods (SDS-PAGE, HPLC). It lends itself readily to automation for large-scale screening of selective and potent inhibitors of these neurotoxins which remain to be developed