Cross-Talk between Toxins and Channels

Dear Colleagues,

Ion channels, being indispensable constituents of a biological membrane, are the focus of research in the fields of cell biology, physiology and molecular pharmacology. The conduction of ions across the membrane at very fast rates and a high degree of ion selectivity forms the basis of biological activity of a living cell, including electrical excitability, intracellular signaling pathways, and intercellular communication. The great variety of ion channels are mainly classified by the nature of the activating stimuli, which induce channel gating (e.g., voltage-gated, ligand-gated, and mechanosensitive channels), and by the types of ions passing through the gate (e.g., sodium, potassium, and calcium channels).

There is another world of molecules, organic toxins, which bind the channels, thus affecting their function. The most studied are peptide toxins from venomous animals (scorpions, spiders, snakes, etc.) and small organic ligands from poisonous plants, symbiotic bacteria, or dinoflagellates. The toxins structurally mirror the bioactive sites of the target channels, providing a remarkable example of the evolution of prey and predator at the molecular level. This molecular fine-tuning has resulted in a high affinity and specificity of toxin binding, which is especially true for peptide toxins having a multi-point channel-binding interface.

This Special Issue aims to bring together the latest research on animal and plant toxins to study the structure–functional relations of the channels, as well as their regulatory role in different physiological processes, which range from neuronal conductivity and muscle contraction to immune response, hormone secretion, proliferation, and apoptosis. This Special Issue will combine the efforts to further understand the involvement of ion channels in many hereditary and acquired diseases and demonstrate the potency of toxins as a novel class of therapeutic agents. Original research articles and reviews are welcome.

Dr. Oksana V. Nekrasova
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Toxins is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• ion channel
• toxin
• blocker
• gating modifier
• small-molecule ligand
• binding
• ion channel pharmacology