Scorpion Venom GaTx1

Researchers have discovered a toxin in scorpion venom that may hold the key to understanding and controlling cystic fibrosis and other secretory diseases. The image shows the toxin, GaTx1, in ribbon representation superimposed above a display of its side-chain surface volume. GaTx1 can control the movement of ions and water out of cells by interacting with a crucial chloride channel known to be defective in patients with cystic fibrosis.

The research leading to identification of GaTx1, supported in part by the NSF, was carried out in the laboratories of Georgia Tech researchers Nael A. McCarty and Julia Kubanek, with substantial effort by graduate students Matthew Fuller and Christopher Thompson. A press release about the research goes into greater detail about the finding.

Credit: Georgia Tech and Christopher Thompson