title: Cytolethal distending toxin: a bacterial bullet targeted to nucleus.
abstract: Cytolethal distending toxin (Cdt) is a newly added member of bacterial protein toxins that hijack the control system of eukaryotic cells. Cdts are produced by several pathogenic bacteria causing chronic infectious diseases. They are composed of three subunits, CdtA, CdtB and CdtC, which together form a ternary complex. CdtB is the active component, and CdtA and CdtC are involved in delivering the CdtB into the cells. The sophisticated strategy of Cdt to control host cells is CdtB-mediated limited DNA damage of the host cell chromosome, which triggers the response of the cell cycle checkpoint and results in G2 arrest in the cells. Cdt also induces apoptotic cell death of lymphocytes, which may be relevant to onset or persistence of chronic infection by the producing bacteria. The study of this toxin is expected to provide us information on a novel strategy by which bacteria interact with host cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bacteriology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8553, Japan.
authors.forename: Masaru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ohara
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Oswald
authors.forename: Motoyuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sugai
mesh_terms: D036002:ADP Ribose Transferases / Q000737:chemistry*; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D001692:Biological Transport; D002167:Campylobacter / Q000378:metabolism; D002453:Cell Cycle; D016923:Cell Death; D002460:Cell Line; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism*; D002875:Chromosomes / Q000378:metabolism; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D004249:DNA Damage; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000378:metabolism; D016195:G2 Phase; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D008954:Models, Biological; D008958:Models, Molecular; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D014774:Virulence
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; C468509:CdtC protein, Haemophilus ducreyi; C067044:cytolethal distending toxin; D036002:ADP Ribose Transferases; C410164:actin-specific ADP-ribosyltransferase, Clostridium