Neuropharmacological Characterization of Botulinum Neurotoxin,
Abstract
Experiments have been done to clarify the nature of botulinum toxin binding. This work is an essential prelude to efforts to identify drugs that can antagonize toxin action by blocking toxin association with cell surface receptors. During the first part of the work, experiments were done: (1) to identify human tissue preparations that can be used to study electrophysiology, ligand binding, and certain aspects of molecular biology, and (2) to examine botulinum toxin action on these tissues. This work resulted in the findings that the human pyramidalis muscle can be used as a model to study neuromuscular transmission, and cerebellar synaptosomes can be used as models to study CNS function. During the second part of the work, the process of characterizing toxin receptors began. This work resulted in the finding that: (1) toxin receptors are found in most parts of the nervous system, but distribution is very uneven, and (2) molecular biology techniques can be used to transfer functioning receptors from the nervous system to a model translation system, i.e., Xenopus oocytes.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 1996
- Accession Number
- ADA312072
Entities
People
- Lance L. Simpson
Organizations
- Thomas Jefferson University