- Alpha-Bungarotoxin
α-bungarotoxin is one of the components of the venom of the
elapid snake Taiwanese bandedkrait ("Bungarus multicinctus "). It binds irreversibly and competitively to theacetylcholine receptor found at theneuromuscular junction , causingparalysis ,respiratory failure and death in the victim.α-bungarotoxin is also a selective antagonist of the α7
nicotinic acetylcholine receptor in the brain, and as such has applications in neuroscience research.History
Bungarotoxin was discovered by
Chuan-Chiung Chang and Chen-Yuan Lee of theNational Taiwan University in 1963. [cite journal |author=Chang C |title=Looking back on the discovery of alpha-bungarotoxin |journal=J. Biomed. Sci. |volume=6 |issue=6 |pages=368–75 |year=1999 |pmid=10545772] [cite journal |author=Chu N |title=Contribution of a snake venom toxin to myasthenia gravis: the discovery of alpha-bungarotoxin in Taiwan |journal=Journal of the history of the neurosciences |volume=14 |issue=2 |pages=138–48 |year=2005 |pmid=16019658 |url=http://content.karger.com/ProdukteDB/produkte.asp?Aktion=ShowPDF&ProduktNr=224178&Ausgabe=226136&ArtikelNr=25412&filename=25412.pdf |doi=10.1080/096470490881770]References
External links
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* [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/viewer.fcgi?db=nucleotide&val=5763973 Structure] atGenBank
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