leukotoxin and Gram-Negative-Bacterial-Infections

Many Gram-negative bacterial pathogens synthesize cytolytic toxins as virulence factors. Most of these toxins generate pores in eukaryotic cell membranes, but there are apparently several different mechanisms of pore formation. Cytolysins of Gram-negative bacteria are usually synthesized as precursor proteins which are converted to the active toxins by modification or proteolytic processing. Such a requirement for activation is not common for cytolysins produced by Gram-positive bacteria. The extracellular secretion of cytolytic toxins from Gram-negative bacteria depends on specific transport systems.

Topics: Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Bacterial Toxins; Consensus Sequence; Cytotoxins; Evolution, Molecular; Exotoxins; Gram-Negative Bacteria; Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections; Hemolysin Proteins; Humans; Molecular Sequence Data; Pore Forming Cytotoxic Proteins; Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid; Species Specificity; Virulence; Virulence Factors, Bordetella