Samantha Nixon

1 month ago | nature.com | Sandra Zakrzewska |Samantha Nixon |Zhou Chen |Elizabeth Park |John V. Mulcahy |Eduard Neu | +2 more

AbstractDinoflagellates and cyanobacteria produce saxitoxin (STX) and ~50 congeners that disrupt bioelectrical signals by blocking voltage-gated sodium channels (NaVs). Consuming seafood carrying these toxins causes paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP). Although NaVs and anuran STX binding proteins (saxiphilins, Sxphs) use convergent STX binding modes, the structural basis for STX congener recognition is unknown.

Oct 3, 2024 | biorxiv.org | Sandra Zakrzewska |Samantha Nixon |Zhou Chen |Holly S Hajare

AbstractDinoflagellates and cyanobacteria in harmful 'red tide' algal blooms produce saxitoxin (STX) and ~50 congeners that block voltage gated sodium channel (NaV) function and disrupt bioelectrical signals1-4. Consuming seafood carrying these lethal toxins causes paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP), a growing public health hazard due to climate change5-7 that motivates efforts to detect these toxins and counteract their noxious effects.