An atomic picture of how anthrax toxin binds to its host's cells reveals that the toxin commandeers a host receptor protein and tricks it into helping the toxin enter the cell. In 2001, Bacillus anthracis made headlines when US Senators Thomas Daschleand Patrick Leahy received letters containing anthrax spores, highlighting the urgent need for an effective treatment against the bacterium. Once exposed to B. anthracis, the only treatment available involves a 60-day course of antibiotics that have unpleasant side-effects'. The race to develop more palatable alternatives that will work at any stage of infection is now focusing on anthrax toxin, the protein complex responsible for the bacterium's lethal effects.
展开▼
机译:炭疽毒素如何与其宿主细胞结合的原子照片揭示了该毒素指挥着宿主受体蛋白并诱使它帮助毒素进入细胞。 2001年,当美国参议员Thomas Daschleand Patrick Leahy收到含有炭疽孢子的信件时,炭疽杆菌成为头条新闻,突显了对这种细菌进行有效治疗的迫切需要。一旦暴露于炭疽芽孢杆菌,唯一可用的治疗方法是服用60天疗程的抗生素,这些抗生素具有令人不快的副作用。现在,争相开发可在感染的任何阶段起作用的更美味的替代品的竞赛现在集中在炭疽毒素上,炭疽毒素是引起细菌致命作用的蛋白质复合物。
展开▼