title: Electric dipole reorientation in the interaction of botulinum neurotoxins with neuronal membranes.
abstract: Botulinum neurotoxins are highly potent toxins capable of rapid and specific interaction with the presynaptic membrane. We have hypothesised that: (1) these neurotoxins possess an electric dipole with the positive pole on receptor binding domain Hc-C and that (2) on approaching the negatively charged presynaptic membrane, they reorient themselves and hit the membrane surface with Hc-C; this electrostatic effect would contribute efficient binding. Electrostatic calculations confirm these hypotheses and strongly indicate that electrostatics effects can play an important role in the unique presynaptic membrane binding properties of these neurotoxins and generally on the interaction of other plasma membrane protein ligands.
authors: Department of Biomedical Sciences and Technologies, University of Udine, Piazzale Kolbe 4, 33100 Udine, Italy.
authors: Federico
authors: F
authors: Fogolari
authors: Silvio C E
authors: SC
authors: Tosatto
authors: Lucia
authors: L
authors: Muraro
authors: Cesare
authors: C
authors: Montecucco
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001905:Botulinum Toxins / Q000737:chemistry*; D008566:Membranes / Q000737:chemistry*; D051379:Mice; D008958:Models, Molecular; D009474:Neurons / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology; D009498:Neurotoxins / Q000737:chemistry*; D017729:Presynaptic Terminals / Q000737:chemistry; D011487:Protein Conformation; D055672:Static Electricity; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D009498:Neurotoxins; D001905:Botulinum Toxins