title: Receptor-targeting mechanisms of pain-causing toxins: How ow?
abstract: Venoms often target vital processes to cause paralysis or death, but many types of venom also elicit notoriously intense pain. While these pain-producing effects can result as a byproduct of generalized tissue trauma, there are now multiple examples of venom-derived toxins that target somatosensory nerve terminals in order to activate nociceptive (pain-sensing) neural pathways. Intriguingly, investigation of the venom components that are responsible for evoking pain has revealed novel roles and/or configurations of well-studied toxin motifs. This review serves to highlight pain-producing toxins that target the capsaicin receptor, TRPV1, or members of the acid-sensing ion channel family, and to discuss the utility of venom-derived multivalent and multimeric complexes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158-2517, USA. christopher.bohlen@ucsf.edu
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Bohlen
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Julius
mesh_terms: D062565:Acid Sensing Ion Channels; D059787:Acute Pain / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001733:Bites and Stings / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D017950:Ganglia, Sensory / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000819:agonists* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D009619:Nociceptors / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D011487:Protein Conformation; D021122:Protein Subunits / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity; D011506:Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity*; D062687:Sodium Channel Agonists; D015222:Sodium Channels / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D013003:Somatosensory Cortex / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D050916:TRPV Cation Channels / Q000819:agonists* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D014688:Venoms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000201:enzymology / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D062565:Acid Sensing Ion Channels; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D021122:Protein Subunits; D011506:Proteins; D062687:Sodium Channel Agonists; D015222:Sodium Channels; D050916:TRPV Cation Channels; C494484:TRPV1 receptor; D014688:Venoms