Conus peptides as tools for the neuroscientist

Recombinant DNA technology has had a powerful impact on understanding receptors and ion channels, the key components in the nervous system that are involved in intercellular communication. Cloning genes encoding these proteins has revealed that for every receptor and ion channel type, multiple molecular forms exist. In a sense, the effect of molecular biology on neuroscience has been to induce a significant shift in philosophical orientation: the elegant analyses of Hodgkin and Huxley had traditionally led to a focus on general principles, i.e., action potential generation by the "universal" sodium and potassium channel.