Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Botulinum neurotoxin inhibits muscle function by interfering with neurotransmitter release from secretory vesicles. The mechanism underlying this effect involves cleavage of SNARE proteins which are required for vesicle docking at the plasma membrane. The ability of botulinum neurotoxin serotypes to cleave SNARE proteins and inhibit secretion is being exploited for therapeutic purposes by Syntaxin Ltd with their ‘targeted secretion inhibitor technology’ (...