Spider venoms are proving to be important sources of specific ion channel toxins. Venom of Agelenopsis aperta, a funnel web spider, contains a class of polypeptide toxins which blocks neuromuscular synapses at nanomolar concentrations. Detailed physiological analyses of block caused by one of these toxins, omega-Aga-I, show that it suppresses transmitter release at insect and frog neuromuscular junctions and blocks calcium spikes in insect neuronal cell bodies. omega-Aga-I may define a binding site on neuronal calcium channels which is common to both vertebrates and invertebrates.
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Bindokas et al. (1989) studied this question.
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