STUDY OF BOTULINUM NEUROTOXIN-INDUCED PROTEIN CHANNEL CHARACTERISTICS

Authors

Richard W. Hendershot, Brigham Young University
David Busath, Brigham Young University

Keywords

botulinum toxin, protein channel, diphytenoyl phosphatidal choline, DPhPC

College

Life Sciences

Department

Physiology and Developmental Biology

Abstract

Botulinum toxin is an exotoxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum and is the cause of botulism poisoning in poorly canned food. It is known that the toxin consists of two parts namely the larger Heavy Chain and the smaller Light Chain. Previous data suggests that the larger Heavy Chain forms channels in the cell membrane facilitating infection of the cell by the smaller Light Chain 1. It is also known that the Heavy Chain does indeed form channels in a bilayer system but channels formed by a single Heavy Chain are too small for the light chain to pass through. The purpose of my project was to study the characteristics of channels formed by the Heavy Chain in hopes of gaining a greater understanding of the intoxication process.

Recommended Citation

Hendershot, Richard W. and Busath, David (2013) "STUDY OF BOTULINUM NEUROTOXIN-INDUCED PROTEIN CHANNEL CHARACTERISTICS," Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2013: Iss. 1, Article 1475.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jur/vol2013/iss1/1475