Biomaterial Database

Shiga toxin: purification, structure, and function. 1991

A Donohue-Rolfe, and D W Acheson, and G T Keusch

Department of Medicine, New England Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts 02111.

Shiga toxin is a potent toxin produced by Shigella dysenteriae type 1 strains. The toxin has three biologic activities--cytotoxicity, enterotoxicity, and neurotoxicity--and one known biochemical effect: inhibition of protein synthesis. It consists of two polypeptide chains, an A chain (molecular weight, 32,225) and a B chain (molecular weight, 7,691). These two peptides associate with a stoichiometry of one A and five B subunits to form the holotoxin. The A chain is responsible for the biochemical effect of the holotoxin: cleavage of the N-glycosidic bond of adenine at nucleotide position 4324 in the 28S rRNA of the 60S ribosomal subunit. The B chain mediates binding of toxin to cell surface receptors. Shiga toxin is the prototype of a family of toxin molecules that have been termed Shiga-like in terms of both structural and functional analysis.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D003603	Cytotoxins	Substances that are toxic to cells; they may be involved in immunity or may be contained in venoms. These are distinguished from CYTOSTATIC AGENTS in degree of effect. Some of them are used as CYTOTOXIC ANTIBIOTICS. The mechanism of action of many of these are as ALKYLATING AGENTS or MITOSIS MODULATORS.	Cytolysins,Cytotoxic Agent,Cytotoxic Agents,Cytotoxin,Agent, Cytotoxic
D004768	Enterotoxins	Substances that are toxic to the intestinal tract causing vomiting, diarrhea, etc.; most common enterotoxins are produced by bacteria.	Staphylococcal Enterotoxin,Enterotoxin,Staphylococcal Enterotoxins,Enterotoxin, Staphylococcal,Enterotoxins, Staphylococcal
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D001427	Bacterial Toxins	Toxic substances formed in or elaborated by bacteria; they are usually proteins with high molecular weight and antigenicity; some are used as antibiotics and some to skin test for the presence of or susceptibility to certain diseases.	Bacterial Toxin,Toxins, Bacterial,Toxin, Bacterial
D012762	Shigella dysenteriae	A species of gram-negative, facultatively anaerobic, rod-shaped bacteria that is extremely pathogenic and causes severe dysentery. Infection with this organism often leads to ulceration of the intestinal epithelium.	Bacillus dysenteriae,Bacillus dysentericus,Bacillus shigae,Eberthella dysenteriae,Shigella shigae
D013329	Structure-Activity Relationship	The relationship between the chemical structure of a compound and its biological or pharmacological activity. Compounds are often classed together because they have structural characteristics in common including shape, size, stereochemical arrangement, and distribution of functional groups.	Relationship, Structure-Activity,Relationships, Structure-Activity,Structure Activity Relationship,Structure-Activity Relationships
D022603	Shiga Toxins	A class of toxins that inhibit protein synthesis by blocking the interaction of ribosomal RNA; (RNA, RIBOSOMAL) with PEPTIDE ELONGATION FACTORS. They include SHIGA TOXIN which is produced by SHIGELLA DYSENTERIAE and a variety of shiga-like toxins that are produced by pathologic strains of ESCHERICHIA COLI such as ESCHERICHIA COLI O157.	Vero Toxin,Vero Toxins,Shiga-Like Toxins,Vero Cell Cytotoxin,Vero Cell Cytotoxins,Vero Cytotoxin,Vero Cytoxins,Verotoxin,Verotoxins,Cell Cytotoxins, Vero,Cytotoxin, Vero,Cytotoxin, Vero Cell,Cytotoxins, Vero Cell,Cytoxins, Vero,Shiga Like Toxins,Toxin, Vero,Toxins, Shiga,Toxins, Shiga-Like,Toxins, Vero