The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor has served, since its biochemical identification in the
1970s, as a model of an allosteric ligand-gated ion channel mediating signal transition at the …

Cation-π interactions arise as a result of strong attractive forces between positively charged
entities and the π-electron cloud of aromatic groups. The physicochemical characteristics of …

The α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor plays critical roles in the central nervous system and
in the cholinergic inflammatory pathway. This ligand-gated ion channel assembles as a …

Snakebite envenoming is a major global public health concern for which improved therapies
are urgently needed. The antigenic diversity present in snake venom toxins from various …

Binding of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine to its receptors on muscle fibers depolarizes
the membrane and thereby triggers muscle contraction. We sought to understand at the level …

During development, motor neurons originating in the brainstem and spinal cord form
elaborate synapses with skeletal muscle fibres. These neurons release acetylcholine (ACh) …

Type A GABA (γ-aminobutyric acid) receptors represent a diverse population in the
mammalian brain, forming pentamers from combinations of α-, β-, γ-, δ-, ε-, ρ-, θ-and π …

Fast synaptic communication requires receptors that respond to the presence of
neurotransmitter by opening an ion channel across the post-synaptic membrane. The …

Bites by elapid snakes (eg cobras) can result in life-threatening paralysis caused by venom
neurotoxins blocking neuromuscular nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Here, we determine …

Convergence is the phenomenon whereby similar phenotypes evolve independently in
different lineages. One example is resistance to toxins in animals. Toxins have evolved …