A δ-Conotoxin from Conus ermineus Venom Inhibits Inactivation in Vertebrate Neuronal Na+ Channels but Not in Skeletal and Cardiac Muscles

We have isolated δ-conotoxin EVIA (δ-EVIA), a conopeptide in Conus ermineus venom that contains 32 amino acid residues and a six-cysteine/four-loop framework similar to that of previously described ω-, δ-, μO-, and κ-conotoxins. However, it displays low sequence homology with the latter conotoxins. δ-EVIA inhibits Na+ channel inactivation with unique tissue specificity upon binding to receptor site 6 of neuronal Na+ channels. Using amphibian myelinated axons and spinal neurons, we showed that δ-EVIA increases the duration of action potentials by inhibiting Na+ channel inactivation. δ-EVIA considerably enhanced nerve terminal excitability and synaptic efficacy at the frog neuromuscular junction but did not affect directly elicited muscle action potentials. The neuronally selective property of δ-EVIA was confirmed by showing that a fluorescent derivative of δ-EVIA labeled motor nerve endings but not skeletal muscle fibers. In a heterologous expression system, δ-EVIA inhibited inactivation of rat neuronal Na+ channel subtypes (rNaV1.2a, rNaV1.3, and rNaV1.6) but did not affect rat skeletal (rNaV1.4) and human cardiac muscle (hNaV1.5) Na+ channel subtypes. δ-EVIA, in the range of concentrations used, is the first conotoxin found to affect neuronal Na+ channels without acting on Na+ channels of skeletal and cardiac muscle. Therefore, it is a unique tool for discriminating voltage-sensitive Na+ channel subtypes and for studying the distribution and modulation mechanisms of neuronal Na+ channels, and it may serve as a lead to design new drugs adapted to treat diseases characterized by defective nerve conduction.