Nicotinic receptors—a family of ligand-gated ion channels that mediate the effects of the
neurotransmitter acetylcholine—are among the most well understood allosteric membrane …

Conopeptides are a diverse group of recently evolved venom peptides used for prey capture
and/or defense. Each species of cone snails produces in excess of 1000 conopeptides, with …

Peptide therapeutics are acclaimed as a promising addition to the pharmaceutical arena,
and they continue to attract interest due to their high potency, bioavailability, and fewer …

Upon ligand binding at the subunit interfaces, the extracellular domain of the nicotinic
acetylcholine receptor undergoes conformational changes, and agonist binding …

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are integral membrane proteins and prototypic
members of the ligand‐gated ion‐channel superfamily, which has precursors in the …

Cysteine-rich peptides from the venom of cone snails (Conus) target a wide variety of
different ion channels. One family of conopeptides, the α-conotoxins, specifically target …

The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) is the prototype member of the superfamily of
pentameric ligand-gated ion channels. How the extracellular ligand-binding domain …

Venoms of snakes, scorpions, spiders, insects, sea anemones, and cone snails are complex
mixtures of mostly peptides and small proteins that have evolved for prey capture and/or …

The α9 and α10 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subunits assemble to form the
α9α10 nAChR subtype. This receptor is believed to mediate cholinergic synaptic …

In the four decades since toxinologists in Australia and elsewhere started to investigate the
active constituents of venomous cone snails, a wealth of information has emerged on the …