Perspectives in Molecular Toxinology

In this volume the editors have reviewed the most recent major advances in our understanding of toxins from venomous animals and microbes and their targets in mammals, insects and other animals. To approach these challenging aspects, the authors have posed crystal–clear questions based on the most precise acquired knowledge.
∗ What can be learnt from genomics and proteomics?
∗ What are the intimate modes of action of toxins on ion channels, receptors, enzymes, cell membranes?
∗ What is the molecular basis of specificity and more generally of pleiotropism of toxins?
∗ What else can be learnt about toxin tertiary structures and dynamics?
∗ How can we enhance our understanding of target architecture and complex toxin–target structures?
∗ Are toxins subject to accelerated evolution?
∗ Can they be exploited as models for the design of new drugs?
∗ What does the future hold for the treatment of snake bites?
These are just some of the many questions that have been addressed in this book. Complete answers may not always be readily apparent, but the attendant reasoning shows how toxinology has become an important area of biochemistry, directly associated with advances in cellular microbiology, molecular pharmacology, molecular physiology, cell biology, protein engineering, and other disciplines.

Spis treści:
List of Contributors
Preface
I TOXINS FROM MICROORGANISMS
Bacterial Toxins with Metalloprotease Activity (O. Rossetto and C. Montecucco)
The Cholesterol–dependent Cytolysins: Current Perspectives on Membrane Assembly and Insertion (E. Hotze and R.K. Tweten)
Toxin–producing Dinoflagellates (M.J. Holmes and R. Lewis)
Involvement of Na+ in the Actions of Ciguatoxins and Brevetoxins that Stimulate Neurotransmitter Release and Affect Synaptic Transmission (J. Molgó and E. Benoit)
II ANIMAL TOXINS AND NEW METHODOLOGIES
Role of D iscovery Science in Toxicology: Examples in Venom Proteomics (J.W. Fox, J.D. Shannon, B. Stefansson, A.S. Kamiguti, R.D.G. Theakston, S.M.T. Serrano, A.C.M. Camargo and N. Sherman)
Proteomics of Venom Peptides (R. Stocklin and P. Favreau)
High–resolution NMR of Venom Toxins in Nanomolar Amounts (M. Delepierre)
III ANIMAL TOXINS: FROM FUNDAMENTAL STUDIES TO DRUGS?
Cone Snails and Conotoxins Evolving Sophisticated Neuropharmacology (B.M. Olivera, J.S. Imperial and G Bulaj)
Toxin Structure and Function: What Does Structural Genomics Have To Offer? (R.S. Norton)
The Sites by which Animal Toxins Bind to their Targets Involve Two Components: A Clue for Selectivity, Evolution and Design of Proteins? (A. Ménez, D. Servent and S. Gasparini)
Scorpion Genes and Peptides Specific for Potassium Channels: Structure,Function and Evolution (L.D. Possani, E. Merino, M. Corona and B. Becerril)
Scorpion Toxins Differentiating among Neuronal Sodium Channel Subtypes: Nature′s Guide for Design of Selective Drugs (D. Gordon, N. Gilles, D. Bertrand, J. Molgó, G.M. Nicholson, M.P. Sauviat, E. Benoit, I. Shichor, I. Lotan, M. Gurevitz, R.G. Kallen and S.H. Heinemann)
Diversification of Toxic Sites on a Conserved Protein Scaffold – a Scorpion Recipe for Survival (M. Gurevitz, N. Zilberberg, O. Froy, M. Turkov, R. Wilunsky, I. Karbat, J. Anglister, B. Shaanan, M. Pelhate, M.E. Adams, N. Gilles, D. Gordon)
Methodological Approaches to the Study of Ion Channels Using Peptide Toxins: Proposed Comprehensive Guidelines (M. De Waard, J.–M. Sabatier and H. Rochat)
Toxins as Probes for Structure and Specificity of Synaptic Target Proteins (P. Taylor, B. Molles, S. Malany and H. Osaka)
Allosteric and Steric interactions of Polyamines and Polyamine–containing Toxins with Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors (T.J. Brier, I.R. Mellor and P.N.R. Usherwood)
Anabaseine as a Molecular Model for Design of a7 Nicotinic Receptor Agonist Drugs (W.R. Kem)
Understanding the Structure–Function Relationship of Snake Venom Cardiotoxins (T.K.S. Kumar, S. Srisailam, R.R. Vethanayagam and C. Yu)
Structure and Function of Disintegrins and C–lectins: Viper Venom Proteins Modulating Cell Adhesion (S. Niewiarowski, C. Marcinkiewicz, I. Wierzbicka–Patynowski, M.A. McLane and J.J. Calvete)
Prothrombin Activators from Snake Venoms (R.M. Kini, J.S. Joseph and V.S. Rao)
C–type Lectins from Snake Venoms: New Tools for Research in Thrombosis and Haemostasis (A. Wisner, M. Leduc and C. Bon)
Toxins Leading to Medicines (A.L. Harvey)
IV EVOLUTION OF ANIMAL TOXINS
Accelerated and Regional Evolution of Snake Venom Gland Isozymes (M. Ohno, T. Ogawa, N. Oda–Ueda, T. Chijiwa and S. Hattori)
Functional Diversification of Animal Toxins by Adaptive Evolution (D. Kordis, I. Kriûaj and F. Gubenëek)
V FROM VENOMS TO TREATMENT
The Venomous Function (M. Goyffon)
Are Inhibitors of Metalloproteinases, Phospholipases A2 and Myotoxins Members of the Innate System? (J. Perales and G.B. Domont)
The Treatment of Snake Bites: Analysis of Requirements and Assessment of Therapeutic Efficacy in Tropical Africa (J.–P. Chippaux)

Okładka tylna:
In this volume the editors have reviewed the most recent major advances in our understanding of toxins from venomous animals and microbes and their targets in mammals, insects and other animals. To approach these challenging aspects, the authors have posed crystal–clear questions based on the most precise acquired knowledge.
∗ What can be learnt from genomics and proteomics?
∗ What are the intimate modes of action of toxins on ion channels, receptors, enzymes, cell membranes?
∗ What is the molecular basis of specificity and more generally of pleiotropism of toxins?
∗ What else can be learnt about toxin tertiary structures and dynamics?
∗ How can we enha nce our understanding of target architecture and complex toxin–target structures?
∗ Are toxins subject to accelerated evolution?
∗ Can they be exploited as models for the design of new drugs?
∗ What does the future hold for the treatment of snake bites?
These are just some of the many questions that have been addressed in this book. Complete answers may not always be readily apparent, but the attendant reasoning shows how toxinology has become an important area of biochemistry, directly associated with advances in cellular microbiology, molecular pharmacology, molecular physiology, cell biology, protein engineering, and other disciplines.