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Bacterial protein toxins and lipids: role in toxin targeting and activity
Author(s) -
Geny Blandine,
Popoff Michel R.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
biology of the cell
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.543
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1768-322X
pISSN - 0248-4900
DOI - 10.1042/bc20060038
Subject(s) - biology , microbial toxins , toxin , bacterial protein , microbiology and biotechnology , bacteria , genetics
All bacterial toxins, which globally are hydrophilic proteins, interact first with their target cells by recognizing a surface receptor, which is either a lipid or a lipid derivative, or another compound but in a lipid environment. Intracellular active toxins follow various trafficking pathways, the sorting of which is greatly dependent on the nature of the receptor, notably lipidic receptor or receptor embedded into a distinct environment such as lipid microdomains. Numerous other toxins act locally on cell membrane. Indeed, phospholipase activity is a common mechanism shared by several membrane‐damaging toxins. In addition, many toxins active intracellularly or on cell membrane modulate host cell phospholipid pathways. Unusually, a few bacterial toxins require a lipid post‐translational modification to be active. Thereby, lipids are obligate partners of bacterial toxins.