Anthrax toxin: a tripartite lethal combination1

FEBS Letters

Montecucco, Cesare¹  Ippolito, Giuseppe³  Ascenzi, Paolo⁴  Bolognesi, Martino²  Visca, Paolo⁴  Spallarossa, Andrea² 

[1]Department of Experimental Biomedical Sciences, Via G. Colombo 3, 35131 Padova, Italy

[2]Department of Physics – National Institute for the Physics of Matter and Centre of Excellence for Biomedical Research, University of Genova, Via Dodecaneso 33, 16146 Genova, Italy

[3]National Institute for Infectious Diseases IRCSS ‘Lazzaro Spallanzani’, Via Portuense 292, 00149 Rome, Italy

[4]Department of Biology and Interdepartmental Laboratory for Electron Microscopy, University ‘Roma Tre’, Viale G. Marconi 446, 00146 Rome, Italy

关键词: Anthrax toxin;    Edema factor;    Lethal factor;    Protective antigen;    Bacillus anthracis;    ATR;    anthrax toxin receptor;    CaM;    calmodulin;    EF;    edema factor;    EF58;    C-terminal catalytic portion of EF;    ET;    edema toxin;    LF;    lethal factor;    LT;    lethal toxin;    MAPK;    mitogen-activated protein kinase;    MAPKK;    mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase;    PA;    protective antigen;    PA20;    proteolytically cleaved N-terminal fragment of PA;    PA63;    proteolytically activated C-terminal fragment of PA;    [PA63]7;    heptameric PA63;   

DOI  :  10.1016/S0014-5793(02)03609-8

学科分类：生物化学/生物物理

来源: John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

【 摘 要 】

Anthrax is a severe bacterial infection that occurs when Bacillus anthracis spores gain access into the body and germinate in macrophages, causing septicemia and toxemia. Anthrax toxin is a binary A–B toxin composed of protective antigen (PA), lethal factor (LF), and edema factor (EF). PA mediates the entry of either LF or EF into the cytosol of host cells. LF is a zinc metalloprotease that inactivates mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase inducing cell death, and EF is an adenylyl cyclase impairing host defences. Inhibitors targeting different steps of toxin activity have recently been developed. Anthrax toxin has also been exploited as a therapeutic agent against cancer.

【 授权许可】

Unknown