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hubie [soylentnews.org] writes:

IMB researchers have identified a unique pain pathway targeted by a notorious Australian stinging tree and say it could point the way to new, non-opioid pain relief [uq.edu.au]:

Professor Irina Vetter [uq.edu.au] and her team have studied how toxins in the venom of the Gympie-Gympie tree cause intense pain that can last for weeks.

[...] "The gympietide toxin in the stinging tree has a similar structure to toxins produced by cone snails and spiders, but the similarity ends there," Professor Vetter said.

"This toxin causes pain in a way we've never seen before."

Many toxins cause pain by binding directly to sodium channels in sensory nerve cells, but the UQ researchers have found the gympietide toxin needs assistance to bind.

"It requires a partner protein called TMEM233 to function and in the absence of TMEM233 the toxin has no effect," Professor Vetter said.

"This was an unexpected finding and the first time we've seen a toxin that requires a partner to impact sodium channels."

The team is working to understand whether switching off this pain mechanism might lead to the development of new painkillers.

"The persistent pain the stinging tree toxins cause gives us hope that we can convert these compounds into new painkillers or anaesthetics which have long-lasting effects," Professor Vetter said.

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