High-resolution structures of human and insect voltage-gated sodium channels bound to animal toxins provide insight into sodium ion permeation and a path toward structure-based drug discovery.
The high-resolution structures of voltage-gated sodium channels provide insights into ion permeation and a foundation for structure-based drug discovery for disorders like cardiac arrhythmia.
Structures of voltage-gated sodium channels In “excitable” cells, like neurons and muscle cells, a difference in electrical potential is used to transmit signals across the cell membrane. This difference is regulated by opening or closing ion channels in the cell membrane. For example, mutations in human voltage-gated sodium (Na v ) channels are associated with disorders such as chronic pain, epilepsy, and cardiac arrhythmia. Pan et al. report the high-resolution structure of a human Na v channel, and Shen et al. report the structures of an insect Na v channel bound to the toxins that cause pufferfish and shellfish poisoning in humans. Together, the structures give insight into the molecular basis of sodium ion permeation and provide a path toward structure-based drug discovery. Science , this issue p. eaau2486 , p. eaau2596
Shen et al. (Thu,) reported a other. Animal toxins was evaluated. High-resolution structures of human and insect voltage-gated sodium channels bound to animal toxins provide insight into sodium ion permeation and a path toward structure-based drug discovery.