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Pore-modulating toxins exploit inherent slow inactivation to block K+ channels

Izhar Karbat1, Hagit Altman-Gueta2, Shachar Fine1

  • 1Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, 76100 Rehovot, Israel.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|August 25, 2019
PubMed
Summary

Conkunitzin-S1 (Cs1) toxin from cone snails blocks potassium channels by targeting turret-bound hydrogen bonds. This causes water to flow into the channel, collapsing the pore and offering a new drug design target.

Keywords:
blockneurotoxinpore modulationpotassium channelsstructural water

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