Neurotoxins
14 important questions on Neurotoxins
What is a neurotoxin?
What kind of neurotoxins do plant/fungi and bacteria/animals produce?
Bacteria/animals = peptides or proteins
--> can be synthesized in the lab for commercial use
Why do we study neurotoxins?
For neurosciences - staining, functional analyses of ion channels and blocking functions
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What is the main role of the Na+ channel and what is the structure of this channel?
Made up of 4 transmembrane subunits, which are encoded by different genes giving riseto different types of channels
What do Na+ channel toxins do and to which site of the channel do they bind?
- Gating modifier (site 2 or 5)
- Inactivation inhibitor (site 3)
- Activation enhancer (site 4)
What is the function of pore blockers (Na+ toxins)?
These toxins bind to site 1 of the channel
What is the function of gating modifier Na+ toxins?
Inactivation inhibitor = decreases inactivation -> more APs
Activation enhancer = shifts activation potential to a more negative value, so whole IV curve switches to the left -> less depolarization leads to opening of the channels -> APs
What is the effect of botulinum neurotoxin?
CNS is not affacted as the neurotoxin cannot cross the blood-brain barrier
How are people infected with botulinum neurotoxin?
Infant botulism = caused by honey containing spores of the bacterium
What is the target of the neurotoxin botulinum?
- Vesicular membrane proteins: SV2 and synaptotagmin
What happens when neurotoxin botulinum binds to its targets?
How can sodium channel toxins used as potential drugs?
How many domains has the botulinum neurotoxin?
How is neurotoxin botulinum used as a therapeutical compound?
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