MECHANISM OF ACTION OF CLOSTRIDIAL AND SNAKE PRESYNAPTIC NEUROTOXINS AND THEIR RELEVANCE TO HUMAN THERAPY

The present project prospects a series of studies on the mechanism of action od several presynaptic neurotoxins of bacterial and snake origin. The aims of the project are: a) to learn about of the molecular basis of the neurospecificity of their action, which is at the basis of their high toxicity; b) to obtain novel information on the mechanism of transmisson of the nervous signal at the synapse, deriving from the mechanism of the inactivation of the process caused by the neurotoxins themselves; c) to extend the field of the therapeutic applications of these neurotoxins, which have proven to be the best therapeutic agents for the treatment of a series of human diseases characterized by hyperfunction of peripheral cholinergic nerve terminals. Therefore, the present project has two sides: i) basic science and ii) science applied to clinic, and it has a direct relevance to human health..