Molecular Mechanisms of Action of Bacterial Exotoxins

Toxins are one of the inventive strategies that bacteria have developed in order to survive. As virulence factors, they play a major role in the pathogenesis of infectious diseases. Recent discoveries have once more highlighted the effectiveness of these precisely adjusted bacterial weapons. Further...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Zentralblatt für Bakteriologie 1996-07, Vol.284 (2), p.170-206
Main Authors: Balfanz, Joachim, Rautenberg, Peter, Ullmann, Uwe
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Bacteria - metabolism
Bacteriology
Biological and medical sciences
Cytotoxins - metabolism
Exotoxins - metabolism
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Humans
Microbiology
Pathogenicity, virulence, toxins, bacteriocins, pyrogens, host-bacteria relations, miscellaneous strains
Receptors, Cell Surface - metabolism
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Summary:Toxins are one of the inventive strategies that bacteria have developed in order to survive. As virulence factors, they play a major role in the pathogenesis of infectious diseases. Recent discoveries have once more highlighted the effectiveness of these precisely adjusted bacterial weapons. Furthermore, toxins have become an invaluable tool in the investigation of fundamental cell processes, including regulation of cellular functions by various G proteins, cytoskeletal dynamics and neural transmission. In this review, the bacterial toxins are presented in a rational classification based on the molecular mechanisms of action.
ISSN:0934-8840
DOI:10.1016/S0934-8840(96)80095-8