title: Bacterial protein toxins targeting rho GTPases.
abstract: Several bacterial protein toxins target eukaryotic cells by modulating the functions of Rho GTPases that are involved in various signal processes and in the regulation of the actin cytoskeleton. The toxins inhibit Rho functions by ADP-ribosylation or glucosylation and activate them by deamidation and transglutamination. New findings indicate that the GTPases are also targeted by various 'injected' toxins which are introduced into the eukaryotic cells by the type-III secretion system. The injected toxins do not covalently modify Rho GTPases, but manipulate their regulatory GTPase cycle by acting as GTPase-activating proteins or guanine nucleotide exchange factors.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Pharmakologie und Toxikologie der Universität Freiburg, Hermann-Herder-Str. 5, D-79104, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lerm
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Aktories
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000378:metabolism; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D020741:rho GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D020741:rho GTP-Binding Proteins