The extremely potent substance botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) has attracted much interest in diverse fields. Originally identified as cause for the rare but deadly disease botulism, military and terrorist intended to misuse this sophisticated molecule as biological weapon. This caused its classification as select agent category A by the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention and the listing in the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention. Later, the civilian use of BoNT as long acting peripheral muscle relaxant has turned this molecule into an indispensable pharmaceutical world wide with annual revenues>$1.5 billion. Also basic scientists value the botulinum neurotoxin as molecular tool for dissecting mechanisms of exocytosis. This book will cover the most recent molecular details of botulinum neurotoxin, its mechanism of action as well as its detection and application.

Genetic Diversity Within Clostridium botulinum Serotypes, Botulinum Neurotoxin Gene Clusters and Toxin Subtypes.- Assembly and Function of the Botulinum Neurotoxin Progenitor Complex.- Uptake of Botulinum Neurotoxin in the Intestine.- Double Receptor Anchorage of Botulinum Neurotoxins Accounts for their Exquisite Neurospecificity.- The Elusive Compass of Clostridial Neurotoxins: Deciding When and Where to Go?.- Synchronized Chaperone Function of Botulinum Neurotoxin Domains Mediates Light Chain Translocation into Neurons.- Clostridial Neurotoxin Light Chains: Devices for SNARE Cleavage Mediated Blockade of Neurotransmission.- Synaptic Vesicle Proteins: Targets and Routes for Botulinum Neurotoxins.- Persistence of Botulinum Neurotoxin Inactivation of Nerve Function.- Structure-Based Drug Discovery for Botulinum Neurotoxins.- Complexity of Botulinum Neurotoxins: Challenges for Detection Technology.- Progress in Cell Based Assays for Botulinum Neurotoxin Detection.- Transforming the Domain Structure of Botulinum Neurotoxins into Novel Therapeutics.- Botulinum Toxin: Application, Safety, and Limitations.