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Beauty product or biological weapon? An inhibitory peptide developed for botulinum
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Researchers in the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands and the Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland have identified a substance that can protect nerve cells from the effect of the deadly toxin, botulinum (BoNT/A). (BoNT/A) is best known for its use in tiny amounts in the beauty product Botox. However, in amounts of just 15 ng, it is lethal, causing paralysis of nerves, and is used in biological weapons. It is also used in small amounts in antidotes to conditions such as migraine. In nature, it mainly kills waterfowl and fish.

In a study published recently in Nature, the researchers examined one of the receptors for BoNT/A, namely the synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2 (SV2) family. In this study, they developed high resolution crystal structures of the BoNT/A receptor binding domain (BoNT/A-RBD) complexed to the SVC2 luminal domain (SVC2-LD). They determined the backbone-backbone interactions that occurred between toxin and receptor, which resembled those of inter-strand interactions in amyloid structures. They then introduced peptides to determine if they could inhibit formation of the complex between toxin and receptor. This enabled the researchers to identify an inhibitory peptide that prevented absorption of the toxin into nerve cells. This peptide could, the researchers maintain, be the basis to an antidote to BoNT/A poisoning and could be protective against the effects of biological weapons based on this lethal toxin.

Sources
Roger M. Benoit, R.M. et al (2013) Structural basis for recognition of synaptic vesicle protein 2C by botulinum neurotoxin A Nature (2013) doi:10.1038/nature12732

http://www.uu.nl/university/research/EN/...toxin.aspx
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