Abstract:
Snake venom, secreted from the venom glands, is mainly composed of pharmacologically active proteins and polypeptides. That can be divided into enzymatic and components non-enzymatic. The three finger toxin family represents the most abundant types of nonenzymatic snake venom components, and all members share common three fingers structure comprised by
β-sheets with diverse functional properties. Neurotoxins are extremely important in the family. Structral variations among different groups of the family may result in functional diversity as well as the uniqueness of each group.The three finger toxin family of snakes has most likely evolved from non-toxic ancestral three-finger scaffold proteins. Researches have demonstrated the receptor variability plays a vital role in driving the evolution and diversification of the venom family.