Bacterial Genotoxins: Merging the DNA Damage Response into Infection Biology

Biomolecules

Francesca Grasso²  Teresa Frisan¹  Wolf-Dietrich Heyer²  Thomas Helleday² 

[1] Department Cell and Molecular Biology, Karolinska Institutet, S-171 77 Stockholm, Sweden; E-Mail

关键词: bacterial genotoxins;    DNA damage response;    cancer;    chronic infection;    probiotics;   

DOI  :  10.3390/biom5031762

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Bacterial genotoxins are unique among bacterial toxins as their molecular target is DNA. The consequence of intoxication or infection is induction of DNA breaks that, if not properly repaired, results in irreversible cell cycle arrest (senescence) or death of the target cells. At present, only three bacterial genotoxins have been identified. Two are protein toxins: the cytolethal distending toxin (CDT) family produced by a number of Gram-negative bacteria and the typhoid toxin produced by Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi. The third member, colibactin, is a peptide-polyketide genotoxin, produced by strains belonging to the phylogenetic group B2 of Escherichia coli. This review will present the cellular effects of acute and chronic intoxication or infection with the genotoxins-producing bacteria. The carcinogenic properties and the role of these effectors in the context of the host-microbe interaction will be discussed. We will further highlight the open questions that remain to be solved regarding the biology of this unusual family of bacterial toxins.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.