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Dangerous liaisons on neurons

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Crystal structures show that botulinum toxins bind simultaneously to two sites on neurons. This dual interaction allows them to use a Trojan-horse strategy to enter nerve terminals, with deadly effect.

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Figure 1: Possible binding sites of botulinum neurotoxin B (BoNT/B) on neurons.

Notes

  1. This article and the papers concerned1,2 were published online on 13 December 2006.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Molecular Neuropathobiology Laboratory, Cancer Research UK, London Research Institute, 44 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, WC2A 3PX, UK

    Giampietro Schiavo

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  1. Giampietro Schiavo
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Schiavo, G. Dangerous liaisons on neurons. Nature 444, 1019–1020 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature05410

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