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Show 160 USING NATURAL SNAIL VENOM TO LOOK FOR DRUGS TO CURE NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASE James T. Daly (Martin Horvath) Department of Biology University of Utah research posters on the hill spring 2012 The human brain can store a fantastic amount of information. The names of all the people you know, directions around the city, and television channel numbers are all deposited into neurons inside the brain as memories. One of the ways the brain creates memories is by opening and closing channels on neurons, allowing ions such as sodium and potassium to flow into the neuron and create signals. These signals are passed from neuron to neuron, carrying information all throughout the brain. Unfortunately, if the neuron channels are left open for too long, too many ions can enter the neuron and kill it. This has been shown to be a major process in the progression of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and other neurodegenerative diseases. The opening and closing of neuron channels is controlled by receptors located on the channel. Some of the channels can be activated if their receptor is bound to the chemical glutamate. These specific recep-tors are called N-methyl D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors. Evolution has created organisms that have the ability to block neuron channels and prevent neuron death. Venomous cone snails that live in the ocean produce a dangerous cocktail of toxins which they use to sting and kill fish. One specific toxin from this venom can bind to NMDA receptors and stop ions from flowing into the neuron. To study exactly how snail toxins work, I aim to create a picture of what they look like while they are bound to NMDA receptors. DNA has been cloned to make the receptor protein in E. coli cells. X-ray crystallog-raphy will be used to analyze the protein and gather valuable data. This information can then be used to synthesize drugs to block neuron channels and combat neurodegenerative diseases. |
