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Electric dipole reorientation in the interaction of botulinum neurotoxins with neuronal membranes
Author(s) -
Fogolari Federico,
Tosatto Silvio C.E.,
Muraro Lucia,
Montecucco Cesare
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1016/j.febslet.2009.06.046
Subject(s) - membrane , electrostatics , static electricity , biophysics , chemistry , dipole , synaptic membrane , biochemistry , biology , physics , quantum mechanics , organic chemistry
Botulinum neurotoxins are highly potent toxins capable of rapid and specific interaction with the presynaptic membrane. We have hypothesised that: (1) these neurotoxins possess an electric dipole with the positive pole on receptor binding domain Hc‐C and that (2) on approaching the negatively charged presynaptic membrane, they reorient themselves and hit the membrane surface with Hc‐C; this electrostatic effect would contribute efficient binding. Electrostatic calculations confirm these hypotheses and strongly indicate that electrostatics effects can play an important role in the unique presynaptic membrane binding properties of these neurotoxins and generally on the interaction of other plasma membrane protein ligands.