Open AccessBacterial protein toxins targeting Rho GTPases
Author(s) -
Lerm Maria,
Schmidt Gudula,
Aktories Klaus
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.2000.tb09159.x
Subject(s) - gtpase , guanine nucleotide exchange factor , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , pak1 , deamidation , biochemistry , chemistry , signal transduction , enzyme
Several bacterial protein toxins target eukaryotic cells by modulating the functions of Rho GTPases that are involved in various signal processes and in the regulation of the actin cytoskeleton. The toxins inhibit Rho functions by ADP‐ribosylation or glucosylation and activate them by deamidation and transglutamination. New findings indicate that the GTPases are also targeted by various ‘injected’ toxins which are introduced into the eukaryotic cells by the type‐III secretion system. The injected toxins do not covalently modify Rho GTPases, but manipulate their regulatory GTPase cycle by acting as GTPase‐activating proteins or guanine nucleotide exchange factors.