title: Microbiology. Arresting features of bacterial toxins.
abstract: Bacteria produce an arsenal of sophisticated toxins that disrupt the normal processes of the host cell, usually by modifying or inactivating host cell proteins. Now, as Coburn and Leong discuss in their Perspective, members of the cytolethal distending toxin (CDT) family have been identified as enzymes that attack DNA (and not protein) within the host cell (Lara-Tejero and Galán). By attacking DNA, perhaps during chromosomal replication, CDTs cause the host cell to halt in G2 phase of the cell cycle.
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology and Immunology, Department of Medicine, Tufts-New England Medical Center, Boston, MA 02111, USA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Coburn
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Leong
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000633:toxicity*; D016123:Campylobacter jejuni / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity; D016923:Cell Death; D002455:Cell Division; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism*; D004249:DNA Damage; D004261:DNA Replication; D003850:Deoxyribonuclease I / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000382:microbiology; D016195:G2 Phase; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D009000:Monocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D009154:Mutation; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D001427:Bacterial Toxins; C067044:cytolethal distending toxin; D004247:DNA; D003850:Deoxyribonuclease I