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Double-knot Toxin
Double-knot toxin (DkTx), also known as Tau-theraphotoxin-Hs1a or Tau-TRTX-Hs1a, is a toxin found in the venom of the Chinese Bird spider (''Ornithoctonus huwena'' or ''Cyriopagopus schmidti''), a tarantula species primarily living in the Guangxi province of China. This toxin, characterized by its bivalent structure of two Inhibitor Cysteine Knots (ICK), is thought to induce excruciating and long-lasting pain by activating the transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) channel. Etymology The name of DkTx is based on its molecular structure, consisting of two ICK segments, connected via a linker. Chemistry DkTx can be purified from the venom of the Chinese bird spider ''Ornithoctonus huwena'' using reversed-phase chromatography. DkTx is a cysteine-rich peptide; such peptides are difficult to synthesise because of their low folding efficiency. This is why structural and functional information about these peptides is limited. DkTx is a 75-amino-acid-peptide consisting o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Inhibitor Cystine Knot
An inhibitor cystine knot (aka ICK or Knottin) is a protein structural motif containing three disulfide bridges. Knottins are one of three folds in the cystine knot motif; the other closely related knots are the Growth Factor Cystine Knot (GFCK) and the Cyclic Cystine Knot (CCK; cyclotide). Types include a) cyclic mobius, b) cyclic bracelet, c) acyclic inhibitor knottins. Cystine knot motifs are found frequently in nature in a plethora of plants, animals, and fungi and serve diverse functions from appetite suppression to anti-fungal activity. Along with the sections of polypeptide between them, two disulfides form a loop through which the third disulfide bond (linking the 3rd and 6th cysteine in the sequence) passes, forming a knot. The motif is common in invertebrate toxins such as those from arachnids and molluscs. The motif is also found in some inhibitor proteins found in plants, but the plant and animal motifs are thought to be a product of convergent evolution. The ICK moti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chinese Bird Spider
Chinese bird spider is an English name given to several species of old-world tarantulas which are found in China and Vietnam, including: * '' Cyriopagopus hainanus'', primarily found on Hainan Island, off the southeastern coast of China; synonym ''Haplopelma hainanum'' * ''Cyriopagopus schmidti ''Cyriopagopus schmidti'' is a species of spider in the family Theraphosidae (tarantulas), found in China and Vietnam. It is one of a number of species known as "Chinese bird spider" and "Chinese earth tiger". ''Haplopelma huwenum'' was synonymi ...'', found in Vietnam; synonyms ''Haplopelma schmidti'', ''Haplopelma huwenum'' and ''Selenocosmia huwena'' {{Animal common name Set index articles on spiders ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Transient Receptor Potential Channel
Transient receptor potential channels (TRP channels) are a group of ion channels located mostly on the plasma membrane of numerous animal cell types. Most of these are grouped into two broad groups: Group 1 includes TRPC ( "C" for canonical), TRPV ("V" for vanilloid), TRPVL ("VL" for vanilloid-like), TRPM ("M" for melastatin), TRPS ("S" for soromelastatin), TRPN ("N" for no mechanoreceptor potential C), and TRPA ("A" for ankyrin). Group 2 consists of TRPP ("P" for polycystic) and TRPML ("ML" for mucolipin). Other less-well categorized TRP channels exist, including yeast channels and a number of Group 1 and Group 2 channels present in non-animals. Many of these channels mediate a variety of sensations such as pain, temperature, different kinds of tastes, pressure, and vision. In the body, some TRP channels are thought to behave like microscopic thermometers and used in animals to sense hot or cold. Some TRP channels are activated by molecules found in spices like garlic (allicin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ion Channel Toxins
An ion () is an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge. The charge of an electron is considered to be negative by convention and this charge is equal and opposite to the charge of a proton, which is considered to be positive by convention. The net charge of an ion is not zero because its total number of electrons is unequal to its total number of protons. A cation is a positively charged ion with fewer electrons than protons while an anion is a negatively charged ion with more electrons than protons. Opposite electric charges are pulled towards one another by electrostatic force, so cations and anions attract each other and readily form ionic compounds. Ions consisting of only a single atom are termed atomic or monatomic ions, while two or more atoms form molecular ions or polyatomic ions. In the case of physical ionization in a fluid (gas or liquid), "ion pairs" are created by spontaneous molecule collisions, where each generated pair consists of a free electron and a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hydrophobe
In chemistry, hydrophobicity is the physical property of a molecule that is seemingly repelled from a mass of water (known as a hydrophobe). In contrast, hydrophiles are attracted to water. Hydrophobic molecules tend to be nonpolar and, thus, prefer other neutral molecules and nonpolar solvents. Because water molecules are polar, hydrophobes do not dissolve well among them. Hydrophobic molecules in water often cluster together, forming micelles. Water on hydrophobic surfaces will exhibit a high contact angle. Examples of hydrophobic molecules include the alkanes, oils, fats, and greasy substances in general. Hydrophobic materials are used for oil removal from water, the management of oil spills, and chemical separation processes to remove non-polar substances from polar compounds. Hydrophobic is often used interchangeably with lipophilic, "fat-loving". However, the two terms are not synonymous. While hydrophobic substances are usually lipophilic, there are exceptions, suc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
EC50
] Half maximal effective concentration (EC50) is a measure of the concentration of a drug, antibody or toxicant which induces a Stimulus%E2%80%93response_model, response halfway between the baseline and maximum after a specified exposure time. More simply, EC50 can be defined as the ''concentration required to obtain a 50% ..effect'' and may be also written as sub>50. It is commonly used as a measure of a drug's potency, although the use of EC50 is preferred over that of 'potency', which has been criticised for its vagueness. EC50 is a measure of concentration, expressed in molar units (M), where 1 M is equivalent to 1 mol/ L. The EC50 of a ''graded'' dose response curve therefore represents the concentration of a compound where 50% of its maximal effect is observed. The EC50 of a ''quantal'' dose response curve represents the concentration of a compound where 50% of the population exhibit a response, after a specified exposure duration. For clarification, a grade ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Capsaicin
Capsaicin (8-methyl-''N''-vanillyl-6-nonenamide) ( or ) is an active component of chili peppers, which are plants belonging to the genus ''Capsicum''. It is a chemical irritant for mammals, including humans, and produces a sensation of burning in any tissue with which it comes into contact. Capsaicin and several related alkaloids are called capsaicinoids and are produced as secondary metabolites by chili peppers, probably as deterrents against certain mammals and fungi.What Made Chili Peppers So Spicy? Talk of the Nation, 15 August 2008. Pure capsaicin is a , colorless, highly |
Dorsal Root Ganglion
A dorsal root ganglion (or spinal ganglion; also known as a posterior root ganglion) is a cluster of neurons (a ganglion) in a dorsal root of a spinal nerve. The cell bodies of sensory neurons known as first-order neurons are located in the dorsal root ganglia. The axons of dorsal root ganglion neurons are known as afferents. In the peripheral nervous system, afferents refer to the axons that relay sensory information into the central nervous system (i.e. the brain and the spinal cord). Structure The neurons comprising the dorsal root ganglion are of the pseudo-unipolar type, meaning they have a cell body (soma) with two branches that act as a single axon, often referred to as a ''distal process'' and a ''proximal process''. Unlike the majority of neurons found in the central nervous system, an action potential in posterior root ganglion neuron may initiate in the ''distal process'' in the periphery, bypass the cell body, and continue to propagate along the ''proximal process ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cation Channel Superfamily
The transmembrane cation channel superfamily was defined in InterPro and Pfam as the family of tetrameric ion channels. These include the sodium, potassium, calcium, ryanodine receptor, HCN, CNG, CatSper, and TRP channels. This large group of ion channels apparently includes families , , , and of the TCDB transporter classification. They are described as minimally having two transmembrane helices flanking a loop which determines the ion selectivity of the channel pore. Many eukaryotic channels have four additional transmembrane helices (TM) (), related to or vestigial of voltage gating. The proteins with only two transmembrane helices () are most commonly found in bacteria. This also includes the 2-TM inward-rectifier potassium channels () found primarily in eukaryotes. There are commonly additional regulatory domains which serve to regulate ion conduction and channel gating. The pores may also be homotetramers or heterotetramers; where heterotetramers may be encoded as d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nociception
Nociception (also nocioception, from Latin ''nocere'' 'to harm or hurt') is the sensory nervous system's process of encoding noxious stimuli. It deals with a series of events and processes required for an organism to receive a painful stimulus, convert it to a molecular signal, and recognize and characterize the signal in order to trigger an appropriate defense response. In nociception, intense chemical (e.g., capsaicin present in Chili pepper or Cayenne pepper), mechanical (e.g., cutting, crushing), or thermal (heat and cold) stimulation of sensory neurons called nociceptors produces a signal that travels along a chain of nerve fibers via the spinal cord to the brain. Nociception triggers a variety of physiological and behavioral responses to protect the organism against an aggression and usually results in a subjective experience, or perception, of pain in sentient beings. Detection of noxious stimuli Potentially damaging mechanical, thermal, and chemical stimuli are detected ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thermoception
Thermoception or thermoreception is the sensation and perception of temperature, or more accurately, temperature differences inferred from heat flux. It deals with a series of events and processes required for an organism to receive a temperature stimulus, convert it to a molecular signal, and recognize and characterize the signal in order to trigger an appropriate defense response. Thermoception in larger animals is mainly done in the skin; mammals have at least two types. The details of how temperature receptors work are still being investigated. Ciliopathy is associated with decreased ability to sense heat, thus cilia may aid in the process. Transient receptor potential channels (TRP channels) are believed to play a role in many species in sensation of hot, cold, and pain. Vertebrates have at least two types of sensor: those that detect heat and those that detect cold. A particularly specialized form of thermoception is used by Crotalinae (pit viper) and Boidae (boa) snakes, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mechanosensation
Mechanosensation is the transduction of mechanical stimuli into neural signals. Mechanosensation provides the basis for the senses of light touch, hearing, proprioception, and pain. Mechanoreceptors found in the skin, called cutaneous mechanoreceptors, are responsible for the sense of touch. Tiny cells in the inner ear, called hair cells, are responsible for hearing and balance. States of neuropathic pain, such as hyperalgesia and allodynia, are also directly related to mechanosensation. A wide array of elements are involved in the process of mechanosensation, many of which are still not fully understood. Cutaneous mechanoreceptors Cutaneous mechanoreceptors are physiologically classified with respect to conduction velocity, which is directly related to the diameter and myelination of the axon. Rapidly adapting and slowly adapting mechanoreceptors Mechanoreceptors that possess a large diameter and high myelination are called ''low-threshold mechanoreceptors''. Fibers that respond ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
