alpha conotoxin ImI is a member of a family of short cyclic peptides called conotoxins that are made by cone snails. These conotoxins are between 10-30 residues long and bind to Nicotinic acetyl choline receptors (NAchRs). A huge range of conotoxins are made by cone snails to be injected into their prey. They prey on many different species ranging from worms to fish to molluscs, the conotoxins work by binding to NAchRs at Neuromuscular juctions and inhibiting Acetyl choline from binding, stoping muscle contractions and paralysing their prey. Alpha Conotoxin ImI has high affinity for human Alpha-7 and Alpha-3 beta-2 NAchRs and has potential to be used as a painkiller or muscle relaxant however it is susceptible to enzyme degredation and less stable in a reducing enviroment due to disulphide bond shuffling.
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