A heteromeric Texas coral snake toxin targets acid-sensing ion channels to produce pain

Christopher J. Bohlen, Alexander T. Chesler, Reza Sharif-Naeini, Katalin F. Medzihradszky, Sharleen Zhou, David King, Elda E. Sánchez, Alma L. Burlingame, Allan I. Basbaum and David Julius ()
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Christopher J. Bohlen: University of California
Alexander T. Chesler: University of California
Reza Sharif-Naeini: University of California
Katalin F. Medzihradszky: University of California
Sharleen Zhou: Howard Hughes Medical Institute Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, University of California
David King: Howard Hughes Medical Institute Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, University of California
Elda E. Sánchez: Texas A&M University-Kingsville
Alma L. Burlingame: University of California
Allan I. Basbaum: University of California
David Julius: University of California

Nature, 2011, vol. 479, issue 7373, 410-414

Abstract: Coral snake's potent toxin identified The bite of the Texas coral snake, although not fatal, causes excruciating and long-lasting pain. The toxin involved has now been characterized. The purified active component (MitTx) results from an unusual combination of two housekeeping enzymes, the dimerization of which produces a potent and selective activator of the acid-sensing ion channel ASIC1. Activation of ASIC1 recruits primary afferent nociceptors that detect thermal and inflammatory pain. The identification of MitTx, and the unexpected involvement of ASIC1 channels in nociception, open new routes for the study of these ion channels in particular, and pain research in general.

Date: 2011
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DOI: 10.1038/nature10607

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