title: Bacterial protein toxins penetrate cells via a four-step mechanism.
abstract: Bacteria produce several protein toxins that act inside cells. These toxins bind with high affinity to glycolipid or glycoprotein receptors present on the cell surface. Binding is followed by endocytosis and intracellular trafficking inside vesicles. Different toxins enter different intracellular routes, but have the common remarkable property of being able to translocate their catalytic subunit across a membrane into the cytosol. Here, a toxin modifies a specific target with ensuing cell alterations, necessary for the survival and diffusion strategies of the toxin producing bacterium.
authors.affiliation: Centro CNR Biomembrane, Università di Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Montecucco
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Papini
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schiavo
mesh_terms: D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000378:metabolism*; D001692:Biological Transport; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism*; D003600:Cytosol / Q000378:metabolism*; D004705:Endocytosis; D006017:Glycolipids / Q000378:metabolism; D046911:Macromolecular Substances
chemical_list: D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D006017:Glycolipids; D046911:Macromolecular Substances