Snake postsynaptic neurotoxins: gene structure, phylogeny and applications in research and therapy

Abstract

Snake venoms are complex mixtures of biologically active polypeptides that target a variety of vital physiological functions in mammals. α-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 α-neurotoxin genes and discuss their evolutionary relationships. Almost all members of neurotoxins have been found to exhibit a common evolutionary origin. The importance of α-neurotoxins in therapy and research has also been discussed to highlight their potential applications especially in the area of drug discovery.