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β‐NEUROTOXIN REDUCES NEUROTRANSMITTER STORAGE IN BRAIN SYNAPSES
Author(s) -
Wernicke J. F.,
Oberjat T.,
Howard B. D.
Publication year - 1974
Publication title -
journal of neurochemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.75
H-Index - 229
eISSN - 1471-4159
pISSN - 0022-3042
DOI - 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1974.tb04295.x
Subject(s) - neurotoxin , neurotransmitter , chemistry , acetylcholine , phospholipase a , synaptosome , venom , phospholipase , choline , neurotransmission , biochemistry , toxin , phospholipase a2 , pharmacology , biology , enzyme , in vitro , receptor
β‐neurotoxin, a component of Bungarus multicinctus venom, is known to cause neuromuscular blockade by first increasing the rate of spontaneous ACh release and then inhibiting the nerve impulse‐induced release of ACh. We report that the toxin also affects the storage of several neurotransmitters in rat brain and it is active on synaptosomes and brain minces. Synaptosomes prepared from brain tissue that had been treated with β‐toxin have a reduced ability to accumulate radioactive NE, GABA, serotonin and the ACh precursor, choline. The toxin also causes a release of previously accumulated NE and GABA from synaptosomes, suggesting that the storage process rather than the uptake transport process is affected. The toxin does not contain phospholipase A, phospholipase C, protease or hyaluronidase activity.