Α-BUNGAROTOXIN

Uses

α-bungarotoxin, has been used extensively to characterize vertebrate nAChRs because it selectively binds to certain populations of vertebrate receptors. It is one of a family of small neurotoxic proteins (MW ～ 8,000 Da) isolated from the venom of elapid snakes (cobras and their relatives). α-Bungarotoxin also binds to certain insect nAChRs (8,9), although a separate α-bungarotoxin–insensitive class of nAChR has been found in some species (9). It binds very tightly to the receptor and competitively blocks the binding of acetylcholine; consequently, radiolabeled α-bungarotoxin has been used to design competitive binding assays to measure the in vitro potencies of competitive ligands such as the neonicotinoids.