Characterization of a membrane binding loop leads to engineering botulinum neurotoxin B with improved therapeutic efficacy

Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) are a family of bacterial toxins with seven major serotypes (BoNT/A-G). The ability of these toxins to target and bind to motor nerve terminals is a key factor determining their potency and efficacy. Among these toxins, BoNT/B is one of the two types approved for medical and cosmetic uses. Besides binding to well-established receptors, an extended loop in the C-terminal receptor-binding domain (HC) of BoNT/B (HC/B)...