title: From foe to friend: using animal toxins to investigate ion channel function.
abstract: Ion channels are vital contributors to cellular communication in a wide range of organisms, a distinct feature that renders this ubiquitous family of membrane-spanning proteins a prime target for toxins found in animal venom. For many years, the unique properties of these naturally occurring molecules have enabled researchers to probe the structural and functional features of ion channels and to define their physiological roles in normal and diseased tissues. To illustrate their considerable impact on the ion channel field, this review will highlight fundamental insights into toxin-channel interactions and recently developed toxin screening methods and practical applications of engineered toxins.
authors.affiliation: Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Pune; Pune, Maharashtra 411 008 India.
authors.forename: Jeet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kalia
authors.affiliation: Division of Biological Sciences; University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211 USA.
authors.forename: Mirela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Milescu
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology; Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205 USA.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Salvatierra
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology; Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205 USA.
authors.forename: Jordan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.affiliation: Institute for Molecular Bioscience; The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072 Australia.
authors.forename: Julie K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Klint
authors.affiliation: Institute for Molecular Bioscience; The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072 Australia.
authors.forename: Glenn F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: King
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology; University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112 USA.
authors.forename: Baldomero M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Olivera
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology; Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205 USA.|Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience; Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205 USA.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bosmans
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D015640:Ion Channel Gating / Q000187:drug effects*; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D014118:Toxins, Biological / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D007473:Ion Channels; D014118:Toxins, Biological
keywords: animal toxin; screening approaches; toxin engineering; transient receptor potential channel; voltage-gated ion channel
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