Every child knows that one way to understand how something works is to break it.
The powerful and deadly properties of neurotoxins and their ability to wreak havoc in biological systems can be used in a more helpful manner if the toxin's structure and function are well understood at the molecular level. We have recently determined the three-dimensional structure of botulinum neurotoxin, the most deadly toxin known to man. In the human body, the toxin binds to neuronal cells at the neuromuscular junction. The toxin then translocates into the cell and blocks the release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine by destroying the synaptic vesicle proteins involved in neurotransmitter release. While this description makes the toxin sound exclusively dangerous, a detailed molecular understanding how the toxin functions is allowing physicians to turn its deadly properties into treatments for several neuromuscular disorders.