Brain α-Neurotoxin-Binding Proteins and Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors

Darlison, Mark G.; Hicks, Andrew A.; Cockcroft, Victor B.; Squire, Michael D.; Barnard, Eric A.

Abstract

The study of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR) of skeletal muscle and fish electric organ has been greatly facilitated by the application of the α-neurotoxins (postsynaptic toxins) of elapid and hydrophid snake venoms, such as α-bungarotoxin (α-BTX), introduced by C. Y. Lee (Lee, 1973). These polypeptide toxins bind to the receptor with KD values 10−9 and 10−12 M, causing blockade of function. It has been found that the peripheral (vertebrate muscle and electric organ) type of AChR invariably has two of these high-affinity α-toxin binding sites, one on each of the α subunits of its α2βγδ pentameric structure (for reviews see Dolly and Barnard, 1984; Popot and Changeux, 1984) . However, attempts to use α-bungarotoxin as a probe for the more poorly-characterised, neuronal nicotinic receptors have caused a great deal of confusion.

Citation

Darlison, M. G., Hicks, A. A., Cockcroft, V. B., Squire, M. D., & Barnard, E. A. (1988). Brain α-Neurotoxin-Binding Proteins and Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors. In Cellular and Molecular Basis of Synaptic Transmission (475-492). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-73172-3_32

• Acceptance Date: Jan 1, 1988
• Publication Date: 1988
• Deposit Date: Aug 1, 2016
• Publisher: Springer
• Pages: 475-492
• Series Title: NATO ASI Series (Series H: Cell Biology)
• Series Number: 21
• Book Title: Cellular and Molecular Basis of Synaptic Transmission
• ISBN: 9783642731747
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-73172-3_32
• Keywords: Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor, Optic Tectum, Electric Organ, Chick Brain, Subunit Type
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/320893