title: Lysenin: a sphingomyelin specific pore-forming toxin.
abstract: Sphingomyelin is a major sphingolipid in mammalian cells. Recent results indicate that sphingomyelin is a reservoir of lipid second messengers, ceramide and sphingosine-1-phosphate. Sphingomyelin is also a major component of sphingolipid and cholesterol-rich membrane domains (lipid rafts). Lysenin is a pore-forming toxin that specifically binds sphingomyelin. The binding of lysenin to sphingomyelin is dependent on the membrane distribution of the lipid, i.e. the toxin selectively binds sphingomyelin clusters. Development of a non-toxic lysenin mutant revealed the spatial and functional heterogeneity of sphingolipid-rich membrane domains.
authors.affiliation: Supra-Biomolecular System Research Group, RIKEN (Institute of Physical and Chemical Research) Frontier Research System, 2-1, Hirosawa, Wako-shi, Saitama 351-0198, Japan.
authors.forename: Hidehiko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shogomori
authors.forename: Toshihide
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000378:metabolism; D006017:Glycolipids / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D021962:Membrane Microdomains / Q000378:metabolism; D052899:Pore Forming Cytotoxic Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D013109:Sphingomyelins / Q000378:metabolism*; D014118:Toxins, Biological / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D006017:Glycolipids; D052899:Pore Forming Cytotoxic Proteins; D013109:Sphingomyelins; D014118:Toxins, Biological; C107040:lysenin; D002784:Cholesterol