Abstract
Bacterial pathogenicity is a result of a combination of factors, including resistance to environmental threats and to the hosts defenses, growth capability, localization in the host, tissue specificity, resource obtaining mechanisms and the bacteriums own defenses to aggression. A variety of bacterial components, often specific to each strain, are involved in the microorganisms survival, adhesion and growth in the host. Many of them are harmful and, therefore, are called virulence factors. The effects caused by the virulence factors determine the degree of aggressivity of the strain. In many cases the virulence factors are secreted proteins or enzymes, sometimes performing very specific functions. The enzymatic activity is directed to specific proteins from cell membranes, synaptic vesicle fusion proteins, among other important targets. One of the most toxic bacterial proteins is secreted by Clostridium botulinum, targeted to synaptic vesicle fusion proteins, cleaving them with a zinc-metalloprotease activity, which results in severe neurotoxic effects with a lethal dose as low as eight nanograms per kilogram of body weight. The tetanus neurotoxin acts in a similar way but is less active and Bacillus anthracis also presents a potent metalloprotease activity. In this work we describe a selection of these specially interesting and important bacterial proteins and proteases, stressing their relevance in the pathological process and in medical studies.
Keywords: Proteases, virulence factors, bacteria, clostridium, Bordetella pertussis
Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry
Title: Bacterial Toxins: An Overview on Bacterial Proteases and their Action as Virulence Factors
Volume: 9 Issue: 7
Author(s): I. Lebrun, R. Marques-Porto, A. S. Pereira, A. Pereira and E. A. Perpetuo
Affiliation:
Keywords: Proteases, virulence factors, bacteria, clostridium, Bordetella pertussis
Abstract: Bacterial pathogenicity is a result of a combination of factors, including resistance to environmental threats and to the hosts defenses, growth capability, localization in the host, tissue specificity, resource obtaining mechanisms and the bacteriums own defenses to aggression. A variety of bacterial components, often specific to each strain, are involved in the microorganisms survival, adhesion and growth in the host. Many of them are harmful and, therefore, are called virulence factors. The effects caused by the virulence factors determine the degree of aggressivity of the strain. In many cases the virulence factors are secreted proteins or enzymes, sometimes performing very specific functions. The enzymatic activity is directed to specific proteins from cell membranes, synaptic vesicle fusion proteins, among other important targets. One of the most toxic bacterial proteins is secreted by Clostridium botulinum, targeted to synaptic vesicle fusion proteins, cleaving them with a zinc-metalloprotease activity, which results in severe neurotoxic effects with a lethal dose as low as eight nanograms per kilogram of body weight. The tetanus neurotoxin acts in a similar way but is less active and Bacillus anthracis also presents a potent metalloprotease activity. In this work we describe a selection of these specially interesting and important bacterial proteins and proteases, stressing their relevance in the pathological process and in medical studies.
Export Options
About this article
Cite this article as:
Lebrun I., Marques-Porto R., Pereira S. A., Pereira A. and Perpetuo A. E., Bacterial Toxins: An Overview on Bacterial Proteases and their Action as Virulence Factors, Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry 2009; 9 (7) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/138955709788452603
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/138955709788452603 |
Print ISSN 1389-5575 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1875-5607 |
Call for Papers in Thematic Issues
Bioprospecting of Natural Products as Sources of New Multitarget Therapies
According to the Convention on Biological Diversity, bioprospecting is the exploration of biodiversity and indigenous knowledge to develop commercially valuable products for pharmaceutical and other applications. Bioprospecting involves searching for useful organic compounds in plants, fungi, marine organisms, and microorganisms. Natural products traditionally constituted the primary source of more than ...read more
Computational Frontiers in Medicinal Chemistry
The thematic issue "Computational Frontiers in Medicinal Chemistry" provides a robust platform for delving into state-of-the-art computational methodologies and technologies that significantly propel advancements in medicinal chemistry. This edition seeks to amalgamate top-tier reviews spotlighting the latest trends and breakthroughs in the fusion of computational approaches, including artificial intelligence (AI) ...read more
Natural Products and Dietary Supplements in Alleviation of Metabolic, Cardiovascular, and Neurological Disorders
Metabolic disorders like diabetes, obesity, inflammation, oxidative stress, cancer etc, cardiovascular disorders like angina, myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure etc as well as neurological disorders like Alzheimer?s, Parkinson?s, Epilepsy, Depression, etc are the global burden. They covered the major segment of the diseases and disorders from which the human community ...read more
Natural Products in Drug Discovery
Natural products have always been one of the important ways of drug discovery due to their novel skeleton and diverse functional group characteristics. According to statistics, between 1981 and 2019, the FDA approved a total of 1,394 small molecule drugs for marketing, of which 930 marketed drugs originated from the ...read more
- Author Guidelines
- Graphical Abstracts
- Fabricating and Stating False Information
- Research Misconduct
- Post Publication Discussions and Corrections
- Publishing Ethics and Rectitude
- Increase Visibility of Your Article
- Archiving Policies
- Peer Review Workflow
- Order Your Article Before Print
- Promote Your Article
- Manuscript Transfer Facility
- Editorial Policies
- Allegations from Whistleblowers
Related Articles
-
Macrocyclic Hepatitis C Virus NS3/4A Protease Inhibitors: An Overview of Medicinal Chemistry
Current Medicinal Chemistry Labelling and Tracking of Human Mesenchymal Stromal Cells in Preclinical Studies and Large Animal Models of Degenerative Diseases
Current Stem Cell Research & Therapy Influence of Quaternary Conformation on the Biological Activities of the Asp49-phospholipases A2s from Snake Venoms
Protein & Peptide Letters Immunological Mechanisms of Specific Allergen Immunotherapy
Inflammation & Allergy - Drug Targets (Discontinued) Astrocytes: Implications for Neuroinflammatory Pathogenesis of Alzheimers Disease
Current Alzheimer Research Proteoglycan Involvement in Inflammatory Diseases. New Developments in GAG-Based Therapies
Medicinal Chemistry Reviews - Online (Discontinued) Psychological Stress and Puerperal Mastitis - Possible Pathophysiological Mechanisms
Current Women`s Health Reviews Sphingolipid Metabolism and Leukemia: A Potential for Novel Therapeutic Approaches
Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry Potential Therapeutic Strategies to Combat HCC
Current Molecular Pharmacology TL1A: A New Potential Target in the Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Current Drug Targets Danger-Detector NKG2D: Immunosurveillance of Induced Self and Modulation by Cytokines and Soluble Ligands
Current Medicinal Chemistry - Anti-Inflammatory & Anti-Allergy Agents Challenges and Controversies in Autoantibodies Associated with Systemic Rheumatic Diseases
Current Rheumatology Reviews Recent Advancements in the Therapeutics of Food Allergy
Recent Patents on Food, Nutrition & Agriculture Immune Senescence and Vaccination in the Elderly
Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry Insulin Resistance and Hypertension
Current Hypertension Reviews In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluation of Guar Gum-Based Matrix Tablets of Rofecoxib for Colonic Drug Delivery
Current Drug Delivery Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: From Cytotoxic Systemic Chemotherapy to Molecularly Targeted Therapy
Current Medicinal Chemistry - Anti-Cancer Agents Editorial (Thematic Issue: Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis)
Clinical Anti-Inflammatory & Anti-Allergy Drugs (Discontinued) Potential Association Between TLR4 and Chitinase 3-Like 1 (CHI3L1/YKL-40) Signaling on Colonic Epithelial Cells in Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Colitis-Associated Cancer
Current Molecular Medicine Post Marketing Surveillance on Safety and Efficacy of IMOD in Iranian Patients with HIV/AIDS
Infectious Disorders - Drug Targets