SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Shares Sequence with a Human Protein
SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Shares Sequence with a Human Protein
Eight amino acids are identical to part of the human epithelial sodium channel, leading researchers to suspect the virus might interfere with the channel’s function.
Eight amino acids are identical to part of the human epithelial sodium channel, leading researchers to suspect the virus might interfere with the channel’s function.
sodium channel
How Evolution Made the Highveld Mole Rat Impervious to Ant Stings
Shawna Williams | Sep 1, 2019 | 5 min read
Researchers identify changes to a pain receptor and to an ion channel that appear to enable the rodents to colonize otherwise inhospitable burrows.
Genetic Mutation Linked to Cot Death
Catherine Offord | Mar 29, 2018 | 2 min read
Alterations to a protein involved in breathing may help explain some cases of sudden infant death syndrome, a study finds.
Targeting Sodium Channels for Pain Relief
Catherine Offord | Jan 1, 2018 | 10+ min read
The race to develop analgesic drugs that inhibit sodium channel NaV1.7 is revealing a complex sensory role for the protein.
Mining Spider Toxins for Analgesic Clues
Catherine Offord | Jan 1, 2018 | 2 min read
Arachnids harbor a plentiful array of molecules that target mammalian pain receptors.
Infographic: A Painful Pathway
Catherine Offord | Dec 31, 2017 | 2 min read
Since the mid-2000s, the voltage-gated sodium channel NaV1.7 has emerged as a promising target for a new class of analgesics.
Evolving Pain Resistance
Jef Akst | Oct 24, 2013 | 4 min read
Grasshopper mice harbor mutations in a pain-transmitting sodium channel that allow them to prey on highly toxic bark scorpions.