pore forming toxins
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Pore-forming proteins (PFTs, also known as pore-forming toxins) are usually produced by
bacteria Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were am ...
, and include a number of protein
exotoxins An exotoxin is a toxin secreted by bacteria. An exotoxin can cause damage to the host by destroying cells or disrupting normal cellular metabolism. They are highly potent and can cause major damage to the host. Exotoxins may be secreted, or, simi ...
but may also be produced by other organisms such as apple snails that produce perivitellin-2 or
earthworms An earthworm is a terrestrial invertebrate that belongs to the phylum Annelida. They exhibit a tube-within-a-tube body plan; they are externally segmented with corresponding internal segmentation; and they usually have setae on all segments. T ...
, who produce lysenin. They are frequently
cytotoxic Cytotoxicity is the quality of being toxic to cells. Examples of toxic agents are an immune cell or some types of venom, e.g. from the puff adder (''Bitis arietans'') or brown recluse spider (''Loxosceles reclusa''). Cell physiology Treating c ...
(i.e., they kill
cells Cell most often refers to: * Cell (biology), the functional basic unit of life Cell may also refer to: Locations * Monastic cell, a small room, hut, or cave in which a religious recluse lives, alternatively the small precursor of a monastery w ...
), as they create unregulated pores in the
membrane A membrane is a selective barrier; it allows some things to pass through but stops others. Such things may be molecules, ions, or other small particles. Membranes can be generally classified into synthetic membranes and biological membranes. ...
of targeted cells.


Types

PFTs can be divided into two categories, depending on the
alpha-helical The alpha helix (α-helix) is a common motif in the secondary structure of proteins and is a right hand-helix conformation in which every backbone N−H group hydrogen bonds to the backbone C=O group of the amino acid located four residues ea ...
or
beta-barrel In protein structures, a beta barrel is a beta sheet composed of tandem repeats that twists and coils to form a closed toroidal structure in which the first strand is bonded to the last strand (hydrogen bond). Beta-strands in many beta-barrels are ...
architecture of their
transmembrane channel Transmembrane channels, also called membrane channels, are pores within a lipid bilayer. The channels can be formed by protein complexes that run across the membrane or by peptides. They may cross the cell membrane, connecting the cytosol, or cytop ...
that can consist either of * Alpha-pore-forming toxins ** e.g.,
Haemolysin E Haemolysin E (HlyE) is a protein family that consists of several enterobacterial haemolysin (HlyE) proteins. Hemolysin E (HlyE) is a novel pore-forming toxin of ''Escherichia coli'', '' Salmonella typhi'', and ''Shigella flexneri ''Shigella f ...
family, actinoporins, Corynebacterial porin B, Cytolysin A of ''E. coli''. * Beta-barrel pore-forming toxins ** e.g. α-hemolysin (Fig 1), PVL – Panton-Valentine leukocidin, various insecticidal toxins. Other categories: * Large beta-barrel pore-forming toxins ** MACPF and
Cholesterol-dependent cytolysin The thiol-activated Cholesterol-dependent Cytolysin (CDC) familyTC# 1.C.12 is a member of the MACPF superfamily. Cholesterol dependent cytolysins are a family of β-barrel pore-forming exotoxins that are secreted by gram-positive bacteria. CDC ...
s (CDCs), gasdermin * Binary toxins ** e.g.,
Anthrax toxin Anthrax toxin is a three- protein exotoxin secreted by virulent strains of the bacterium, ''Bacillus anthracis''—the causative agent of anthrax. The toxin was first discovered by Harry Smith in 1954. Anthrax toxin is composed of a cell-bindin ...
, Pleurotolysin * Small pore-forming toxins ** e.g., Gramicidin A According to TCDB, there are following families of pore-forming toxins: * 1.C.3 α-
Hemolysin Hemolysins or haemolysins are lipids and proteins that cause lysis of red blood cells by disrupting the cell membrane. Although the lytic activity of some microbe-derived hemolysins on red blood cells may be of great importance for nutrient acq ...
(αHL) family * 1.C.4
Aerolysin In molecular biology, aerolysin is a cytolytic pore-forming toxin exported by ''Aeromonas hydrophila'', a Gram-negative bacterium associated with diarrhoeal diseases and deep wound infections. The mature toxin binds to eukaryotic cells and aggrega ...
family * 1.C.5 ε-toxin family * 1.C.11 RTX-toxin superfamily * 1.C.12 Membrane attack complex/perforin superfamily * 1.C.13 Leukocidin family * 1.C.14 Cytohemolysin (CHL) family * 1.C.39 Thiol-activated cholesterol-dependent cytolysin family * 1.C.43 Lysenin family * 1.C.56 ''Pseudomonas syringae'' HrpZ cation channel family * 1.C.57
Clostridial cytotoxin family The Clostridial Cytotoxin (CCT) FamilyTC# 1.C.57 is a member of the RTX-toxin superfamily. There are currently 13 classified members belonging to the CCT family. A representative list of these proteins is available in thTransporter Classification ...
* 1.C.74 Snake cytotoxin (SCT) family * 1.C.97 Pleurotolysin pore-forming family


Beta-pore-forming toxins

β-PFTs are so-named because of their structural characteristics: they are composed mostly of β-strand-based domains. They have divergent sequences, and are classified by
Pfam Pfam is a database of protein families that includes their annotations and multiple sequence alignments generated using hidden Markov models. The most recent version, Pfam 35.0, was released in November 2021 and contains 19,632 families. Uses ...
into a number of families including Leukocidins, Etx-Mtx2, Toxin-10, and aegerolysin. X-ray crystallographic structures have revealed some commonalities: α-hemolysin and Panton-Valentine leukocidin S are structurally related. Similarly,
aerolysin In molecular biology, aerolysin is a cytolytic pore-forming toxin exported by ''Aeromonas hydrophila'', a Gram-negative bacterium associated with diarrhoeal diseases and deep wound infections. The mature toxin binds to eukaryotic cells and aggrega ...
and Clostridial Epsilon-toxin. and Mtx2 are linked in the Etx/Mtx2 family. The ß-PFTs include a number of toxins of commercial interest for the control of pest insects. These toxins are potent but also highly specific to a limited range of target insects, making them safe biological control agents. Insecticidal members of the Etx/Mtx2 family include Mtx2 and Mtx3 from Lysinibacillus sphaericus that can control mosquito vectors of human diseases and also Cry15, Cry23, Cry33, Cry38, Cry45, Cry51, Cry60, Cry64 and Cry74 from
Bacillus thuringiensis ''Bacillus thuringiensis'' (or Bt) is a gram-positive, soil-dwelling bacterium, the most commonly used biological pesticide worldwide. ''B. thuringiensis'' also occurs naturally in the gut of caterpillars of various types of moths and butterf ...
that control a range of insect pests that can cause great losses to agriculture. Insecticidal toxins in the Toxin–10 family show an overall similarity to the aerolysin and Etx/Mtx2 toxin structures but differ in two notable features. While all of these toxins feature a head domain and a larger, extended beta-sheet tail domain, in the Toxin_10 family, the head is formed exclusively from the N-terminal region of the primary amino acid sequence whereas regions from throughout the protein sequence contribute to the head domain in Etx/Mtx2 toxins. In addition, the head domains of the Toxin_10 proteins show lectin-like features of carbohydrate binding domains. The only reported natural targets of Toxin_10 proteins are insects. With the exception of Cry36 and Cry78, the Toxin_10 toxins appear to act as two-part, binary toxins. The partner proteins in these combinations may belong to different structural groups, depending on the individual toxin: two Toxin_10 proteins (BinA and BinB) act together in the Bin mosquitocidal toxin of Lysinibacillus sphaericus; the Toxin_10 Cry49 is co-dependent on the 3-domain toxin family member Cry48 for its activity against
Culex ''Culex'' is a genus of mosquitoes, several species of which serve as vectors of one or more important diseases of birds, humans, and other animals. The diseases they vector include arbovirus infections such as West Nile virus, Japanese encep ...
mosquito larvae; and the Bacillus thuringiensis Toxin_10 protein Cry35 interacts with the aegerolysin family Cry34 to kill Western Corn Rootworm. This toxin pair has been included in insect resistant plants such as SmartStax corn.


Mode of action

β-PFTs are dimorphic proteins that exist as soluble
monomers In chemistry, a monomer ( ; ''mono-'', "one" + '' -mer'', "part") is a molecule that can react together with other monomer molecules to form a larger polymer chain or three-dimensional network in a process called polymerization. Classification Mo ...
and then assemble to form
multimeric In chemistry and biochemistry, an oligomer () is a molecule that consists of a few repeating units which could be derived, actually or conceptually, from smaller molecules, monomers.Quote: ''Oligomer molecule: A molecule of intermediate relativ ...
assemblies that constitute the pore. Figure 1 shows the pore-form of α-
Hemolysin Hemolysins or haemolysins are lipids and proteins that cause lysis of red blood cells by disrupting the cell membrane. Although the lytic activity of some microbe-derived hemolysins on red blood cells may be of great importance for nutrient acq ...
, the first crystal structure of a β-PFT in its pore-form. 7 α-Hemolysin monomers come together to create the
mushroom A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground, on soil, or on its food source. ''Toadstool'' generally denotes one poisonous to humans. The standard for the name "mushroom" is ...
-shaped pore. The 'cap' of the mushroom sits on the surface of the cell, and the 'stalk' of the mushroom penetrates the cell membrane, rendering it permeable (see later). The 'stalk' is composed of a 14-strand β-barrel, with two strands donated from each monomer. A structure of the ''
Vibrio cholerae ''Vibrio cholerae'' is a species of Gram-negative, facultative anaerobe and comma-shaped bacteria. The bacteria naturally live in brackish or saltwater where they attach themselves easily to the chitin-containing shells of crabs, shrimps, and oth ...
'' cytolysin in the pore form is also heptameric; however, ''
Staphylococcus aureus ''Staphylococcus aureus'' is a Gram-positive spherically shaped bacterium, a member of the Bacillota, and is a usual member of the microbiota of the body, frequently found in the upper respiratory tract and on the skin. It is often posit ...
'' gamma-hemolysin reveals an octomeric pore, consequently with a 16-strand 'stalk'. The Panton-Valentine leucocidin S structure shows a highly related structure, but in its soluble monomeric state. This shows that the strands involved in forming the 'stalk' are in a very different conformation – shown in Fig 2. Structural comparison of pore-form α-Hemolysin (pink/red) and soluble-form PVL (pale green/green). It is postulated that the green section in PVL 'flips out' to the 'red' conformation as seen in α-Haemolysin. (PDB: 7AHL, 1T5R) β-PFTs are dimorphic proteins that exist as soluble monomers and then assemble to form multimeric assemblies that constitute the pore. Figure 1 shows the pore-form of α-Hemolysin, the first crystal structure of a β-PFT in its pore-form. 7 α-Hemolysin monomers come together to create the mushroom-shaped pore. The 'cap' of the mushroom sits on the surface of the cell, and the 'stalk' of the mushroom penetrates the cell membrane, rendering it permeable (see later). The 'stalk' is composed of a 14-strand β-barrel, with two strands donated from each monomer. A structure of the Vibrio cholerae cytolysi
PDB:3O44
in the pore form is also heptameric; however, ''Staphylococcus aureus'' gamma-hemolysi
(PDB:3B07)
reveals an octomeric pore, consequently with a 16-strand 'stalk'. The Panton-Valentine leucocidin S structur
(PDB: 1T5R)
ref name="pmid15262988">
shows a highly related structure, but in its soluble monomeric state. This shows that the strands involved in forming the 'stalk' are in a very different conformation – shown in Fig 2. While the Bin toxin of Lysinibacillus sphaericus is able to form pores in artificial membranes and mosquito cells in culture, it also causes a series of other cellular changes including the uptake of toxin in recycling endosomes and the production of large, autophagic vesicles and the ultimate cause of cell death may be apoptotic. Similar effects on cell biology are also seen with other Toxin_10 activities but the roles of these events in toxicity remain to be established.


=Assembly

= The transition between soluble monomer and membrane-associated
protomer In structural biology, a protomer is the structural unit of an oligomeric protein. It is the smallest unit composed of at least two different protein chains that form a larger hetero-oligomer by association of two or more copies of this unit. The ...
to oligomer is not a trivial one: It is believed that β-PFTs, follow as similar assembly pathway as the CDCs (see Cholesterol-dependent cytolysins later), in that they must first assemble on the cell-surface (in a receptor-mediated fashion in some cases) in a pre-pore state. Following this, the large-scale conformational change occurs in which the membrane spanning section is formed and inserted into the membrane. The portion entering the membrane, referred to as the head, is usually apolar and hydrophobic, this produces an energetically favorable insertion of the pore-forming toxin.


Specificity

Some β-PFTs such as clostridial ε-toxin and ''
Clostridium perfringens ''Clostridium perfringens'' (formerly known as ''C. welchii'', or ''Bacillus welchii'') is a Gram-positive, rod-shaped, anaerobic, spore-forming pathogenic bacterium of the genus ''Clostridium''. ''C. perfringens'' is ever-present in nature an ...
'' enterotoxin (CPE) bind to the cell membrane via specific receptors – possibly certain
claudin Claudins are a family of proteins which, along with occludin, are the most important components of the tight junctions ( zonulae occludentes). Tight junctions establish the paracellular barrier that controls the flow of molecules in the interce ...
s for CPE, possibly GPI anchors or other sugars for ε-toxin – these receptors help raise the local concentration of the toxins, allowing oligomerisation and pore formation. The BinB Toxin_10 component of the Lysinibacillus sphaericus Bin toxin specifically recognises a GPI anchored alpha glycosidase in the midgut of Culex and
Anopheles ''Anopheles'' () is a genus of mosquito first described and named by J. W. Meigen in 1818. About 460 species are recognised; while over 100 can transmit human malaria, only 30–40 commonly transmit parasites of the genus ''Plasmodium'', which ...
mosquitoes but not the related protein found in Aedes mosquitoes, hence conferring specificity on the toxin.


The cyto-lethal effects of the pore

When the pore is formed, the tight regulation of what can and cannot enter/leave a cell is disrupted. Ions and small molecules, such as
amino acids Amino acids are organic compounds that contain both amino and carboxylic acid functional groups. Although hundreds of amino acids exist in nature, by far the most important are the alpha-amino acids, which comprise proteins. Only 22 alpha am ...
and
nucleotides Nucleotides are organic molecules consisting of a nucleoside and a phosphate. They serve as monomeric units of the nucleic acid polymers – deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA), both of which are essential biomolecules with ...
within the cell, flow out, and water from the surrounding tissue enters. The loss of important small molecules to the cell can disrupt
protein synthesis Protein biosynthesis (or protein synthesis) is a core biological process, occurring inside cells, balancing the loss of cellular proteins (via degradation or export) through the production of new proteins. Proteins perform a number of critical ...
and other crucial cellular reactions. The loss of ions, especially
calcium Calcium is a chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. As an alkaline earth metal, calcium is a reactive metal that forms a dark oxide-nitride layer when exposed to air. Its physical and chemical properties are most similar ...
, can cause
cell signaling In biology, cell signaling (cell signalling in British English) or cell communication is the ability of a cell to receive, process, and transmit signals with its environment and with itself. Cell signaling is a fundamental property of all cellula ...
pathways to be spuriously activated or deactivated. The uncontrolled entry of water into a cell can cause the cell to swell up uncontrollably: this causes a process called
blebbing In cell biology, a bleb is a bulge of the plasma membrane of a cell, characterized by a spherical, bulky morphology. It is characterized by the decoupling of the cytoskeleton from the plasma membrane, degrading the internal structure of the cell, ...
, wherein large parts of the cell membrane are distorted and give way under the mounting internal pressure. In the end, this can cause the cell to burst. In particular, nuclear - free erythrocytes under the influence of alpha-staphylotoxin undergo hemolysis with the loss of a large protein hemoglobin.


Binary toxins

There are many different types of binary toxins. The term binary toxin simply implies a two part toxin where both components are necessary for toxic activity. Several β-PFTs form binary toxins. As discussed above, the majority of the Toxin_10 family proteins act as part of binary toxins with partner proteins that may belong to the Toxin_10 or other structural families. The interplay of the individual components has not been well studied to date. Other beta sheet toxins of commercial importance are also binary. These include the Cry23/Cry37 toxin from Bacillus thuringiensis. These toxins have some structural similarity to the Cry34/Cry35 binary toxin but neither component shows a match to established Pfam families and the features of the larger Cry23 protein have more in common with the Etx/Mtx2 family than the Toxin_10 family to which Cry35 belongs.


Enzymatic binary toxins

Some binary toxins are composed of an enzymatic component and a component that is involved in membrane interactions and entry of the enzymatic component into the cell. The membrane interacting component may have structural domains that are rich in beta sheets. Binary toxins, such as anthrax lethal and edema toxins (Main article: Anthrax toxin), ''C. perfringens iota'' toxin and ''C. difficile'' cyto-lethal toxins consist of two components (hence ''binary''): * an enzymatic component – A * a membrane-altering component – B In these enzymatic binary toxins, the B component facilitates the entry of the enzymatic 'payload' (A subunit) into the target cell, by forming homooligomeric pores, as shown above for βPFTs. The A component then enters the cytosol and inhibits normal cell functions by one of the following means:


ADP-ribosylation

ADP-ribosylation is a common enzymatic method used by different bacterial toxins from various species. Toxins such as ''C. perfringens'' iota toxin and ''C. botulinum'' C2 toxin, attach a ribosyl-ADP moiety to surface arginine residue 177 of G-actin. This prevents G-actin assembling to form F-actin, and, thus, the cytoskeleton breaks down, resulting in cell death. Insecticidal members of the ADP-ribosyltransferase family of toxins include the Mtx1 toxin of ''Lysinibacillus sphaericus'' and the Vip1/Vip2 toxin of ''Bacillus thuringiensis'' and some members of the toxin complex (Tc) toxins from gram negative bacteria such as ''
Photorhabdus ''Photorhabdus'' is a genus of bioluminescent, gram-negative bacilli which lives symbiotically within entomopathogenic nematodes, hence the name ''photo'' (which means light producing) and ''rhabdus'' (rod shape). ''Photorhabdus'' is known to ...
'' and ''
Xenorhabdus ''Xenorhabdus'' is a genus of motile, gram-negative bacteria from the family of the Morganellaceae. All the species of the genus are only known to live in symbiosis with soil entomopathogenic nematodes from the genus '' Steinernema''. Although n ...
'' species. The beta sheet-rich regions of the Mtx1 protein are
lectin Lectins are carbohydrate-binding proteins that are highly specific for sugar groups that are part of other molecules, so cause agglutination of particular cells or precipitation of glycoconjugates and polysaccharides. Lectins have a role in rec ...
-like sequences that may be involved in glycolipid interactions.


Proteolysis of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinases (MAPKK)

The A component of
anthrax toxin Anthrax toxin is a three- protein exotoxin secreted by virulent strains of the bacterium, ''Bacillus anthracis''—the causative agent of anthrax. The toxin was first discovered by Harry Smith in 1954. Anthrax toxin is composed of a cell-bindin ...
lethal toxin is
zinc Zinc is a chemical element with the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. Zinc is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodi ...
-metallo
protease A protease (also called a peptidase, proteinase, or proteolytic enzyme) is an enzyme that catalyzes (increases reaction rate or "speeds up") proteolysis, breaking down proteins into smaller polypeptides or single amino acids, and spurring the ...
, which shows specificity for a conserved family of
mitogen-activated protein kinase A mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK or MAP kinase) is a type of protein kinase that is specific to the amino acids serine and threonine (i.e., a serine/threonine-specific protein kinase). MAPKs are involved in directing cellular response ...
s. The loss of these proteins results in a breakdown of cell signaling, which, in turn, renders the cell insensitive to outside stimuli – therefore no
immune response An immune response is a reaction which occurs within an organism for the purpose of defending against foreign invaders. These invaders include a wide variety of different microorganisms including viruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi which coul ...
is triggered.


Increasing intracellular levels of cAMP

Anthrax toxin edema toxin triggers a
calcium Calcium is a chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. As an alkaline earth metal, calcium is a reactive metal that forms a dark oxide-nitride layer when exposed to air. Its physical and chemical properties are most similar ...
ion influx into the target cell. This subsequently elevates intracellular
cAMP Camp may refer to: Outdoor accommodation and recreation * Campsite or campground, a recreational outdoor sleeping and eating site * a temporary settlement for nomads * Camp, a term used in New England, Northern Ontario and New Brunswick to descri ...
levels. This can profoundly alter any sort of immune response, by inhibiting
leucocyte White blood cells, also called leukocytes or leucocytes, are the cells of the immune system that are involved in protecting the body against both infectious disease and foreign invaders. All white blood cells are produced and derived from multi ...
proliferation,
phagocytosis Phagocytosis () is the process by which a cell uses its plasma membrane to engulf a large particle (≥ 0.5 μm), giving rise to an internal compartment called the phagosome. It is one type of endocytosis. A cell that performs phagocytosis is ...
, and pro inflammatory
cytokine Cytokines are a broad and loose category of small proteins (~5–25 kDa) important in cell signaling. Cytokines are peptides and cannot cross the lipid bilayer of cells to enter the cytoplasm. Cytokines have been shown to be involved in au ...
release.


Cholesterol-dependent cytolysins

CDCs, such as pneumolysin, from ''
S. pneumoniae ''Streptococcus pneumoniae'', or pneumococcus, is a Gram-positive, spherical bacteria, alpha-hemolytic (under aerobic conditions) or beta-hemolytic (under anaerobic conditions), aerotolerant anaerobic member of the genus Streptococcus. They are ...
'', form pores as large as 260Å (26 nm), containing between 30 and 44 monomer units.
Electron microscopy An electron microscope is a microscope that uses a beam of accelerated electrons as a source of illumination. As the wavelength of an electron can be up to 100,000 times shorter than that of visible light photons, electron microscopes have a hi ...
studies of pneumolysin show that it assembles into large multimeric peripheral membrane complexes before undergoing a conformational change in which a group of
α-helices The alpha helix (α-helix) is a common motif in the secondary structure of proteins and is a right hand-helix conformation in which every backbone N−H group hydrogen bonds to the backbone C=O group of the amino acid located four residues ear ...
in each monomer change into extended,
amphipathic An amphiphile (from the Greek αμφις amphis, both, and φιλíα philia, love, friendship), or amphipath, is a chemical compound possessing both hydrophilic (''water-loving'', polar) and lipophilic (''fat-loving'') properties. Such a compoun ...
β-hairpins that span the membrane, in a manner reminiscent of α-haemolysin, albeit on a much larger scale (Fig 3). CDCs are homologous to the MACPF family of pore-forming toxins, and it is suggested that both families use a common mechanism (Fig 4). Eukaryote MACPF proteins function in immune defence and are found in proteins such as perforin and complement C9 though perivitellin-2 is a MACPF attached to a delivery
lectin Lectins are carbohydrate-binding proteins that are highly specific for sugar groups that are part of other molecules, so cause agglutination of particular cells or precipitation of glycoconjugates and polysaccharides. Lectins have a role in rec ...
that has enterotoxic and
neurotoxic Neurotoxicity is a form of toxicity in which a biological, chemical, or physical agent produces an adverse effect on the structure or function of the central and/or peripheral nervous system. It occurs when exposure to a substance – specificall ...
properties toward mice. A family of highly conserved cholesterol-dependent cytolysins, closely related to perfringolysin from ''
Clostridium perfringens ''Clostridium perfringens'' (formerly known as ''C. welchii'', or ''Bacillus welchii'') is a Gram-positive, rod-shaped, anaerobic, spore-forming pathogenic bacterium of the genus ''Clostridium''. ''C. perfringens'' is ever-present in nature an ...
'' are produced by bacteria from across the order Bacillales and include anthrolysin, alveolysin and sphaericolysin. Sphaericolysin has been shown to exhibit toxicity to a limited range of insects injected with the purified protein.


Biological function

Bacteria may invest much time and energy in making these toxins: CPE can account for up to 15% of the dry mass of ''C. perfringens'' at the time of
sporulation In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many plants, algae, ...
. The purpose of toxins is thought to be one of the following: * Defense against
phagocytosis Phagocytosis () is the process by which a cell uses its plasma membrane to engulf a large particle (≥ 0.5 μm), giving rise to an internal compartment called the phagosome. It is one type of endocytosis. A cell that performs phagocytosis is ...
, e.g., by a
macrophage Macrophages (abbreviated as M φ, MΦ or MP) ( el, large eaters, from Greek ''μακρός'' (') = large, ''φαγεῖν'' (') = to eat) are a type of white blood cell of the immune system that engulfs and digests pathogens, such as cancer ce ...
. * Inside a host, provoking a response which is beneficial for the proliferation of the bacteria, for example in
cholera Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium '' Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting an ...
. or in the case of insecticidal bacteria, killing the insect to provide a rich source of nutrients in the cadaver for bacterial growth. * Food: After the target cell has ruptured and released its contents, the bacteria can scavenge the remains for nutrients or, as above, bacteria can colonise insect cadavers. * Environment: The mammalian
immune response An immune response is a reaction which occurs within an organism for the purpose of defending against foreign invaders. These invaders include a wide variety of different microorganisms including viruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi which coul ...
helps create the
anaerobic Anaerobic means "living, active, occurring, or existing in the absence of free oxygen", as opposed to aerobic which means "living, active, or occurring only in the presence of oxygen." Anaerobic may also refer to: * Anaerobic adhesive, a bonding a ...
environment that anaerobic bacteria require.


See also

*
Exotoxin An exotoxin is a toxin secreted by bacteria. An exotoxin can cause damage to the host by destroying cells or disrupting normal cellular metabolism. They are highly potent and can cause major damage to the host. Exotoxins may be secreted, or, sim ...


References


Further reading

*
A deadly toxin with a romantic name
Panton-Valentine Leukocidin complex. PDBe Quips


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pore-Forming Toxin Protein toxins Peripheral membrane proteins