Crotoxin: Structural Studies, Mechanism of Action and Cloning of its Gene
Abstract
The purpose of this project is to (1) gain greater insight into crotoxin and crotoxin homolog structure, in order to provide a better understanding of this class of rattlesnake neurotoxin; (2) develop an in vitro system for examining presynaptic neurotoxin mechanism of action; (3) clone the crotoxin gene as a first step in creating a non-toxic, but immunoreactive crotoxin analog; and (4) explore other possible non-toxic, crotoxin immunogens as potential vaccines against crotoxin and its homologs. We have completed the sequence determination of both the basic and acidic subunits of crotoxin. Four presynaptic neurotoxins and their subunits have been examined using circular dichroism, deconvolution Fourier-transform infrared, and fluorescence spectroscopy. Results indicate a large conformational change occurs upon complex formation between the acidic and basic subunits of all four toxins. Keywords: Crotoxin, Presynaptic neurotoxins, Rattlesnake toxins, Natural toxins, Antitoxins.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 1988
- Accession Number
- ADB122454
Entities
People
- Ivan I. Kaiser
Organizations
- University of Wyoming