diff --git a/lisp/ox-latex.el b/lisp/ox-latex.el
index 9d5b5c5..805eeb7 100644
--- a/lisp/ox-latex.el
+++ b/lisp/ox-latex.el
@@ -510,6 +510,14 @@ default we use here encompasses both."
   :group 'org-export-latex
   :type 'string)
 
+(defcustom org-latex-escape-chars "%$#&{}~^_"
+  "Characters to escape.
+Each character in this string will be escaped.
+E.g., _ will be escaped into \_."
+  :group 'org-export-latex
+  :version "24.3"
+  :type 'string)
+
 
 ;;;; Tables
 
@@ -1942,8 +1950,11 @@ TEXT is the string to transcode.  INFO is a plist holding
 contextual information."
   (let ((specialp (plist-get info :with-special-strings))
 	(output text))
-    ;; Protect %, #, &, $, ~, ^, _,  { and }.
-    (while (string-match "\\([^\\]\\|^\\)\\([%$#&{}~^_]\\)" output)
+    ;; Protect characters from `org-latex-escape-chars', i.e.,
+    ;; %, #, &, $, ~, ^, _, { and } by default.
+    (while (string-match
+	    (concat "\\([^\\]\\|^\\)\\([" org-latex-escape-chars "]\\)")
+	    output)
       (setq output
 	    (replace-match
 	     (format "\\%s" (match-string 2 output)) nil t output 2)))