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Pseudomonas Exotoxin and Recombinant Immunotoxins Derived from It
Author(s) -
FITZGERALD DAVID,
PASTAN IRA
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1993.tb35935.x
Subject(s) - immunotoxin , pseudomonas exotoxin , recombinant dna , exotoxin , pseudomonas , microbiology and biotechnology , chemistry , virology , biology , bacteria , antibody , toxin , immunology , genetics , biochemistry , monoclonal antibody , gene
Pseudomonas exotoxin (PE) is a bacterial toxin that kills mammalian cells by gaining entry to the cytosol and inactivating protein synthesis. The toxin binds and enters cells via the alpha 2-macroglobulin receptors. Within cells, the toxin is processed in several steps to produce an enzymatically active 37-kDa C-terminal fragment which translocates to the cytosol and ADP-ribosylates elongation factor 2. Because PE is a very potent toxin, derivatives of it have been produced which, when joined to various binding ligands, are capable of killing specific target cells. It is hoped that this strategy will lead to the development of effective therapeutic agents for the treatment of human diseases such as cancer, AIDS, and various immunologic disorders.