NMR structures of conotoxins

This review discusses the methodology, structural details, and biological implications regarding NMR structures of conotoxins. NMR and molecular modeling techniques have improved to the point that three-dimensional structures of conotoxins can now be determined with a significant degree of confidence. At the same time, biochemical techniques have made important progress in disseminating critical areas of the toxin receptors. As the two areas of research converge, they can begin to explain the extraordinary selectivity of conotoxin binding on a molecular level. An understanding of how molecular interactions between the toxins and their receptors leads to binding specificity should have broad applications in many fields. NMR structures of conotoxins have now been published for each of the major toxin classes. This review includes a brief discussion on the NMR and modeling techniques used for each of the published conotoxin structures to date. The secondary structure of the resulting models is then discussed along with potential implications for biological activity. Finally, relevant biochemical experiments regarding the toxin binding sites are included and discussed in light of the three-dimensional toxin model.