Guanidinium toxins: Unique molecular targets for investigation

ORGN 3

Justin Du Bois, jdubois@stanford.edu, Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, 333 Campus Drive, Stanford, CA 94305-5080
Marine neurotoxins can serve as important pharmacological tools for understanding protein function associated with the highly complex ionic mechanisms of electrical transmission in cells. The voltage-gated Na+ ion channel is a primary site of action for many such poisonous substances. Among such agents, tetrodotoxin, the guanidinium poison synonymous with the Japanese puffer fish, and saxitoxin are foremost. This lecture will attempt to illustrate how synthetic chemistry and molecular design may be used to reveal the inner workings of the Na+ ion channel.