Bacterial Toxins

Abstract

Bacterial protein toxins are released by pathogens into the environment. Thereafter, the toxins target eukaryotic cells in order to damage the membrane, to induce pathogenic signaling by acting on membrane receptors or to disturb cell signaling and cell function after entry into the cytosol. The three major aims of bacteria that produce toxins are (i) to enter the host organism, (ii) to inhibit the host immune system, and (iii) to produce an appropriate host niche for their own development.

Several bacterial protein toxins enter mammalian cells and act as efficient enzymes to modify specific substrates within the cytosol. Therefore, they can be used to analyze signaling pathways dependent on the respective target molecules.