title: Glycosphingolipids as toxin receptors.
abstract: A number of proteins produced by certain bacteria and plants are potently toxic to mammalian cells. This toxicity results from their ability to catalytically modify macromolecules that are required for essential cellular functions such as vesicular trafficking, cytoskeletal assembly, signalling or protein synthesis. To reach their targets, these proteins bind specific surface receptors before endocytosis and translocation across an internal membrane. The surface receptors exploited by different toxins include a range of proteins and lipids. Here we focus on specific glycosphingolipid receptors and two well-characterised subsets of toxins that exploit them for surface binding, intracellular trafficking, and signalling events.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK. d.c.smith@warwick.ac.uk
authors.forename: Daniel C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: J Michael
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Lord
authors.forename: Lynne M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.forename: Ludger
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Johannes
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000378:metabolism; D001692:Biological Transport; D006028:Glycosphingolipids / Q000502:physiology*; D006162:Guanylate Cyclase / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000378:metabolism*; D000074261:Receptors, Enterotoxin; D050705:Receptors, Guanylate Cyclase-Coupled; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic / Q000378:metabolism; D018000:Receptors, Peptide / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D006028:Glycosphingolipids; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic; D018000:Receptors, Peptide; C048071:endotoxin receptor; D006162:Guanylate Cyclase; D000074261:Receptors, Enterotoxin; D050705:Receptors, Guanylate Cyclase-Coupled