Toxins from Down Under: Novel tools to understand and modulate ion channels

来自澳大利亚的毒素：了解和调节离子通道的新工具

• 批准号: DP200102377
• 负责人: Prof Irina Vetter
• 金额: $ 27.38万
• 依托单位: The University of Queensland
• 依托单位国家: 澳大利亚
• 项目类别: Discovery Projects
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 澳大利亚
• 起止时间: 2020-01-01 至 2022-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://dataportal.arc.gov.au/RGS/Web/Grants/DP200102377
• 关键词: Toxins; Down; Under; Novel; tools

Venoms are complex secretions containing biologically active components that have evolved over millions of years to specifically target the nervous systems of predators and prey. Two novel classes of toxins from snake and plant venoms that act on voltage-gated sodium channels, key proteins that regulate neuronal excitability, were recently identified by the research team. The project aims to develop and apply state-of-the-art chemical, structural and biological techniques to unravel the molecular mechanisms through which these novel toxin classes act at their targets. Insights gained from this project will help identify and develop novel channel-modulating molecules that may have applications as neuroscience tools, diagnostics or drugs.

毒液是含有生物活性成分的复杂分泌物，这些成分已经发展了数百万年，可以专门针对捕食者和猎物的神经系统。研究小组最近发现了两种来自蛇和植物毒液的新型毒素，它们在电压门控钠通道上起作用，它们调节神经元兴奋性的关键蛋白质。该项目旨在开发和应用最先进的化学，结构和生物学技术，以揭示这些新型毒素类在其靶标上作用的分子机制。从该项目中获得的见解将有助于识别和开发新的通道调节分子，这些分子可能用作神经科学工具，诊断或药物。