Snake postsynaptic neurotoxins: gene structure, phylogeny and applications in research and therapy |
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Authors: | Phui Yee Joyce Siew Nanling Gong Afifiyan Fatemah Donghui Ma Siew Lay Poh Armugam Arunmozhiarasi Jeyaseelan Kandiah |
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Institution: | Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 8 Medical Drive, Singapore 117597, Singapore. |
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Abstract: | Snake venoms are complex mixtures of biologically active polypeptides that target a variety of vital physiological functions in mammals. alpha-Neurotoxins, toxins that cause paralysis by binding to the nicotinic receptors at the postsynaptic region of the neuromuscular junction have been widely studied in terms of their structure-function relationships as well as gene structure, organization and expression. In this review, we describe the structure of alpha-neurotoxin genes and discuss their evolutionary relationships. Almost all members of neurotoxins have been found to exhibit a common evolutionary origin. The importance of alpha-neurotoxins in therapy and research has also been discussed to highlight their potential applications especially in the area of drug discovery. |
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