title: Venom Peptides From Cone Snails: Pharmacological Probes for Voltage-Gated Sodium Channels.
abstract: The venoms of cone snails provide a rich source of neuroactive peptides (conotoxins). Several venom peptide families have been identified that are either agonists (ι- and δ-conotoxins) or antagonists (μ- and μO-conotoxins) of voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs). Members of these conotoxin classes have been integral in identifying and characterizing specific neurotoxin binding sites on the channel. Furthermore, given the specificity of some of these peptides for one sodium channel subtype over another, conotoxins have also proven useful in exploring differences between VGSC subtypes. This chapter summarizes the current knowledge of the structure and function based on the results of conotoxin interactions with VGSCs and correlates the peptides with the phylogeny of the Conus species from which they were derived.
authors: University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States; Monash University, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
authors: B R
authors: BR
authors: Green
authors: University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States.
authors: B M
authors: BM
authors: Olivera
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D020916:Conotoxins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D052078:Conus Snail / Q000378:metabolism*; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D011485:Protein Binding; D021122:Protein Subunits / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D014688:Venoms / Q000378:metabolism*; D061585:Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Agonists / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D061567:Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Blockers / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D061566:Voltage-Gated Sodium Channels / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D020916:Conotoxins; D010455:Peptides; D021122:Protein Subunits; D014688:Venoms; D061585:Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Agonists; D061567:Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Blockers; D061566:Voltage-Gated Sodium Channels
keywords: Gating modifier; Pore blocker; Site 1; Site 4; Site 6; Site 8