natural phenomena


tAkIng the stIng out of It


NEIL MARRION, PROFESSOR of Neuroscience at the School of Physiology and Pharmacology, explains how the toxins in that very bee sting could be used medically. “My research group has been interested


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in the clues that a toxin found in the venom of the honeybee can give to how a protein can be targeted therapeutically. We are interested in a protein known as an SK channel. A channel is a protein embedded in the cell membrane that can open to provide a pathway for ions, such as potassium, to leave the cell. “Tere are three types of SK channel


and they are found in different parts of the brain and in some parts of our body, like the heart. We have recently published a study in the Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences USA (PNAS), which will


enable the design of more effective drug compounds to enhance activity in specific nerves. We have found how the SK channel folds itself in the cell membrane, telling us how the shape and composition of the surface will look to a drug molecule.”


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discover more


Augmented ReALItY


If you’re unlucky enough to upset a bee, it’s likely to react in a way that can make you yelp. But scientists are now using the powerful toxin found in a bee’s sting to help design more effective drug compounds.


UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH Professor Marrion actively encourages undergraduates to undertake research that can be published in scientific journals. For example, an undergraduate helped on a project that looked at the effects of cholesterol on an ion channel, which was later published. Another undergraduate,


Ouch! Honeybees have one sting, which they’ll use if threatened.


who studied the effect of statins (drugs used to lower cholesterol levels) on cognition, then built upon this research. In collaboration with Dr Emma Robinson, the student found that administering a statin caused a loss of memory and cognitive ability. This ties in with an increasing amount of data that shows statins have cognitive side effects. This work is currently being written for publication and is the seed for a new PhD project.


PLEASE NOTE! Although to begin with the collection of honeybee venom involved actually removing the venom glands from worker bees, thankfully scientists are now using a synthetic apamin that is made in the laboratory. Good job too, as disease, pesticides and adverse weather have meant the UK’s honeybee population has fallen by 10-15 per cent in the past two years!


bristol.ac.uk


Photos: Getty, Thinkstock


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