title: [The structure and mechanism of action of clostridial neurotoxins].
abstract: Clostridium botulinum and Clostridium tetani produce highly potent neurotoxins, called botulinum toxins and tetanus toxin, respectively. The clostridial neurotoxins specifically bind to neuronal cells and disrupt neurotransmisser release by cleaving proteins involved in specific vesicle membrane fusion. Each toxin is synthesized as an inactive approximately 150 kDa single-chain protein. The protein is posttranslationally proteolyzed to form the active dichain molecule in which the chains approximately 50 and approximately 100 kDa, remain linked by a disulfide bond. The structural organization is funcionally related to the fact that CNTs intoxicate neurons via four-step mechanism consisting of 1. binding, 2. internalization, 3. membrane translocation, and 4. enzymatic target modification. The L chain is responsible for the intracellular catalitic activity. The NH2-terminal 50-kDa domain of the H chain (HN) is implicated in membrane translocation, whereas the COOH-terminal part (HC) is mainly responsible for neurospecific binding.
authors: Ośrodek Diagnostyki i Zwalczania Zagrozeń Biologicznych Wojskowego Instytutu Higieny i Epidemiologii. sparasion@gmail.com
authors: Sylwia
authors: S
authors: Parasion
authors: Michał
authors: M
authors: Bartoszcze
authors: Romuald
authors: R
authors: Gryko
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001905:Botulinum Toxins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D003014:Clostridium botulinum / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D009469:Neuromuscular Junction / Q000378:metabolism; D013744:Tetanus Toxin / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D008565:Membrane Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D013744:Tetanus Toxin; D001905:Botulinum Toxins