The high specificity ofa-conotoxins for different neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors makes them important probes for dissecting receptor subtype selectivity. New sequences continue to expand the diversity and utility of the pool of available a-conotoxins. Their identification andcharacterizationdependonasuiteoftechniques with increasing emphasis on mass spectrometry and micro-scale chromatography, which have benefited from recent advances in resolution and capability. Rigorous physico-chemical analysis together with synthetic peptide chemistry is a prerequisite for detailed conformational analysis and to provide sufficient quantities ofa-conotoxins for activity assessment and structure–activity relationship studies
