Apamin therapeutic effect on Parkinson's disease. Dopamine, which is depleted in this disease, will be released from midbrain dopaminergic neurons when these SK channels are inhibited. SK channels have also been proposed as targets for the treatment of epilepsy, emotional disorders and schizophrenia. Apamin Apamin is an 18 amino acid peptide neurotoxin found in apitoxin (bee venom). Dry bee venom consists of 2–3% of apamin. Apamin selectively blocks SK channels, a type of Ca-activated K channel expressed in the central nervous system. Toxicity is caused by only a few amino acids, these are cysteine, lysine, arginine, arginine and histidine. These amino
Evolution of snake venom molecular history of snake venom have contradicted this, instead finding evidence of rapid adaptive evolution in many different clades, including the carpet vipers, "Echis", the ground rattlesnakes, "Sistrurus", and the Malayan pit viper, as well as generally in the diversification of PLA2 proteins. There is phylogenetic evidence of positive selection and rapid rates of gene gain and loss in venom genes of "Sistrurus" taxa feeding on different prey. Several studies have found evidence that venom and resistance to venom in prey species have evolved in a coevolutionary arms race. For example, wood rats of the genus "Neotoma" have a high