Tag Archives: α-latrotoxin

The reconstruction of ionic channels created by protein neurotoxins int bilayer lipid membranes as a research tool for exocytosis processes

О. Ya. Shatursky

Palladin Institute of Biochemistry, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv;
e-mail: olegshatursky@biochem.kiev.ua

The direct transport of inorganic ions and much highly organized biomolecules across native membranes by the specific membrane proteins – ionic channels provides the functioning of a number of important biochemical processes like depolarization, Ca2+-release and exocytosis in nerve or muscle cells at the synaptic transmission. Therefore, the investigation of the structure and ion-conducting properties for neurotoxin channels and different factors affecting channels themselves and neuro-muscular transmission plays an important role in the research of pathologies that appear in intoxicated nerve tissues. As the massive release of neurotransmitters resulting from toxin-induced increase in Ca2+-permeability of the nerve endings occurs after the interaction of pore-forming neurotoxins α-latrotoxin, α- and δ-latroinsectotoxin from black widow spider venom with the specific receptors located on plasma membrane of the vertebrate or invertebrate nerve cells most attention in the review is paid to the reconstitution of above toxins channels.  The part the pore-forming proteins reconstruction research takes to determine the exocytosis regulation endogenous cell proteins may participate has been observed on the example of latrotoxin-like L-protein from bovine brain nerve cells cytoplasm capable of binding with antibodies against α-latrotoxin.