Nature endowed snakes with a lethal secretion known as venom, which has been fine-tuned
over millions of years of evolution. Snakes utilize venom to subdue their prey and to survive …

Three‐finger fold toxins are miniproteins frequently found in Elapidae snake venoms. This
fold is characterized by three distinct loops rich in β‐strands and emerging from a dense …

The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) represents the prototype of ligand-gated ion
channels. It is vital for neuromuscular transmission and an important regulator of …

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor of α7 type (α7-nAChR) presented in the nervous and
immune systems and epithelium is a promising therapeutic target for cognitive disfunctions …

Millions of years of evolution have fine-tuned the ability of venom peptides to rapidly
incapacitate both prey and potential predators. Toxicofera reptiles are characterized by …

The discovery in higher animals of proteins from the Ly6/uPAR family, which have structural
homology with snake “three-finger” neurotoxins, has generated great interest in these …

The first toxin to give rise to the three‐finger protein (TFP) family was α‐bungarotoxin (α‐Bgt)
from Bungarus multicinctus krait venom. α‐Bgt was crucial for research on nicotinic …

Naja nivea (Cape Cobra) is endemic to southern Africa. Envenoming by N. nivea is
neurotoxic, resulting in fatal paralysis. Its venom composition, however, has not been …

This review covers briefly the work carried out at our institute (IBCh), in many cases in
collaboration with other Russian and foreign laboratories, for the last 50 years. It discusses …

Peptide toxins from venoms have undergone a long evolutionary process allowing host
defense or prey capture and making them highly selective and potent for their target. This …