Spinal cord motor neurons control voluntary movement by relaying messages that arrive from upper brain centres to the innervated muscles. Despite the importance of motor neurons in human health and disease, the precise control of their membrane dynamics and its effect on motor neuron homoeostasis and survival are poorly understood. In particular, the molecular basis of the co-ordination of spec...

The mechanisms of action of four snake presynaptic phospholipase A2 neurotoxins were investigated in cultured neurons isolated from various parts of the rat brain. Strikingly, physiological concentrations of notexin, beta-bungarotoxin, taipoxin or textilotoxin induced a dose-dependent formation of discrete bulges at various sites of neuronal projections. Neuronal bulging was paralleled by the r...

Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNT) are the most potent known toxins. The mouse LD50 assay is the gold standard for testing BoNT potency, but is not sensitive enough to detect the extremely low levels of neurotoxin that may be present in the serum of sensitive animal species that are showing the effects of BoNT toxicity, such as channel catfish affected by visceral toxicosis of catfish. Since zebrafis...

iii DEDICATION To my loving wife, best friend and eternal companion Norma. With love and thanks for supporting me in all my endeavors into neuroscience and neurosurgery. You make my journey worthwhile. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I would like to thank my research advisor and mentor, Dr. Mark LeDoux, for the training I received in his laboratory. His encouragement, advice and supervi...

background : in this study, we investigated the lethal potency, electrophoretic protein pattern and in vivo effects of hottentotta saulcyi scorpion venom in mice. methods : scorpions were collected at night, by using a uv lamp from mardin province, turkey. venom was obtained from mature h. saulcyi scorpions by electrical stimulation of the telson. the lethality of the venom was determined by i....

Four neurotoxins that activate the action potential Na+ ionophore of electrically excitable neuroblastoma cells interact with two distinct classes of sites, one specific for the alkaloids veratridine, batrachotoxin, and aconitine, and the second specific for scorpion toxin. Positive heterotropic cooperativity is observed between toxins bound at these two classes of sites. Tetrodotoxin is a nonc...

The botulinum neurotoxins (BoNT, serotypes A-G) are some of the most toxic proteins known and are the causative agents of botulism. Following exposure, the neurotoxin binds and enters peripheral cholinergic nerve endings and specifically and selectively cleaves one or more SNARE proteins to produce flaccid paralysis. This review centers on the kinetics of the Zn-dependent proteolytic activities...