Anthrax lethal factor endopeptidase (, ''lethal toxin'') is an

enzyme Enzymes () are proteins that act as biological catalysts by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecules known as products. A ...

that catalyzes the hydrolysis of

mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (also known as MAP2K, MEK, MAPKK) is a dual-specificity kinase enzyme which phosphorylates mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). MAP2K is classified as . There are seven genes: * (a.k.a. MEK1) * (a.k ...

s. This enzyme is a component of the

lethal factor Lethality (also called deadliness or perniciousness) is how capable something is of causing death. Most often it is used when referring to diseases, chemical weapons, biological weapons, or their toxic chemical components. The use of this ter ...

produced by the bacterium ''

Bacillus anthracis ''Bacillus anthracis'' is a gram-positive and rod-shaped bacterium that causes anthrax, a deadly disease to livestock and, occasionally, to humans. It is the only permanent ( obligate) pathogen within the genus ''Bacillus''. Its infection is a ...

''. The preferred cleavage site can be denoted by BBBBxHxH, in which B denotes a basic amino acid

Arg Arg or ARG may refer to: Places *''Arg'' () means "citadel" in Persian, and may refer to: **Arg, Iran, a village in Fars Province, Iran **Arg (Kabul), presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan **Arg, South Khorasan, a village in South Khorasan P ...

or Lys, H denotes a hydrophobic amino acid, and x is any amino acid.

References

EC 3.4.24 {{enzyme-stub