Sandbox 174: Difference between revisions

=Alpha-Bungarotoxin=

Alpha-Bungarotoxin (α-BGT) is a nicotinic cholinergic antagonist that is found within the venom of ''Bungarus multicinctus'', a South-asian snake belonging to a group commonly known as kraits. Belonging to the Elapidae Family, which consist of cobras, kraits, tiger snakes, and mambas, the venom of ''Bungarus multicuntus'' is a complex mixture of many different molecules<ref name="main">Love, A.R (FINISH)</ref> α-BGT belongs to a family of homologous proteins that act as a neurotoxic agent in the venom of these snakes. α-BGT is known to bind irreversibly to the acetylcholine receptor found at the neuromuscular junction, causing respiratory failure, paralysis, and death, as well as play an antagonstic role in binding the α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor in the brain.

A large amount of highly homologous snake neurotoxins have been sequenced (>60), and can be grouped into two major classes. Short neurotoxins are between 60-62 amino acids long, and consist of four disulphide bonds, and long neurotoxins, which α-BGT falls under, are between 71-74 amino acids long and contain five <scene name='Sandbox_174/Disulphides/2'>Disulphide Bonds</scene>. α-BGT contains 74 amino acids, and is one of the major components of ''Bungarus multicuntus'' venom. Chemical modifications of individual residues has shown that no single amino acid is mandatory for binding, signifying the significance of structure, rather than sequence, and the concept of multicontact interaction with the acetylcholine receptor <ref> Karlsson, 1979;Low 1979</ref>. The importance of structure in binding has been tested by Love & Stroud (1986)<ref name="main">Love, A.R (FINISH)</ref> by determining whether the homology and common mode of action of neurotoxins is facilitated by the three-dimensional structure. Using X-ray crystallography at various resolutions, neurotoxins erabutoxin and cobratoxin were compared to that of α-BGT to determine the level of three-dimensional similarity.