State of functionally essential Trp-29 in snake venom neurotoxins: a proton nuclear magnetic resonance study.

Proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra have been recorded of various neurotoxins from snake venoms. pH dependence of the chemical shifts and resonance intensity has been followed for the functionally essential Trp-29. The indole N-1 proton of Trp-29 in alpha-bungarotoxin, toxin B, and cobrotoxin exhibits appreciably large upfield shifts as the pH is lowered and the suppressed exchange with the solvent hydrogen at pH 3-4, but not in Naja haje annulifera 10 where Asp-31 is replaced with Gly-31. This observation strongly suggests the presence of a hydrogen bond between Trp-29 and Asp-31 that is probably important in stabilizing the arrangement of the functionally essential residues to form a distinct binding region for the receptor.