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

毒液是含有生物活性成分的复杂分泌物，经过数百万年的进化，专门针对捕食者和猎物的神经系统。该研究小组最近发现了两类来自蛇和植物毒液的新型毒素，它们作用于电压门控钠通道，这是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、结构和生物技术，以揭示这些新型毒素类作用于其靶点的分子机制。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，这些分子可能作为神经科学工具，诊断或药物应用。

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.