Studies on The Receptors of Botulinum Neurotoxins / 生物化学与生物物理进展

Botulinum neurotoxin(BoNT) is the most lethal biotoxin known to mankind. It inhibits acetylcholinerelease from the cholinergic nerve ending by cleavage of SNARE proteins, followed by neuromuscular blockadeand paralysis. Gangliosides are considered to act as a first receptor of BoNT with low affinity.Then the membranebound gangliosides-BoNT complex moves laterally to reach and bind the toxin specific protein receptor,synaptotagmin, with a high affinity constant. At last the gangliosides-BoNT-synaptotagmin complex undergoesreceptor-mediated endocytosis. This double-receptors theory is widely accepted. The research data are summarizedand reviewed.