Sea anemone toxins affecting voltage-gated sodium channels--molecular and evolutionary features.

ABSTRACT: The venom of sea anemones is rich in low molecular weight proteinaceous neurotoxins that vary greatly in structure, site of action, and phyletic (insect, crustacean or vertebrate) preference. This toxic versatility likely contributes to the ability of these sessile animals to inhabit marine environments co-habited by a variety of mobile predators. Among these toxins, those that show prominent activity at voltage-gated sodium channels and are critical in predation and defense, have been extensively studied for more than three decades. These studies initially focused on the discovery of new toxins, determination of their covalent and folded structures, understanding of their mechanisms of action on different sodium channels, and identification of the primary sites of interaction of the toxin

SUBMITTER: Moran Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2807626 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature