Contribution of the functional dyad of animal toxins acting on voltage-gated Kv1-type channels.

The 'functional dyad', a well-defined pair of amino acid residues (basic and hydrophobic residues), is a key molecular determinant present in most animal toxins acting on voltage-gated Kv1 channels. It is increasingly used as a working concept to explain how toxins are able to recognize and block their specific ion channel targets. However, other crucial toxin determinants are emerging and the actual role of this 'functional dyad' ought to be clarified, which is the object of the present mini-review. Copyright 2004 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.