Functional characterization of Val60, a key residue involved in the membrane-oligomerization of fragaceatoxin C, an actinoporin from Actinia fragacea

To gain insight into the mechanism of toxin oligomerization, different point mutations have been introduced at this position. Functional characterization of the muteins suggests that Val60 represents a hot-spot where the introduction of mutations hinders protein assembly and reduces the overall affinity for membranes.