Toxins (Nov 2017)

Exolysin Shapes the Virulence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Clonal Outliers

  • Emeline Reboud,
  • Pauline Basso,
  • Antoine P. Maillard,
  • Philippe Huber,
  • Ina Attrée

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins9110364
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 9, no. 11
p. 364

Abstract

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Bacterial toxins are important weapons of toxicogenic pathogens. Depending on their origin, structure and targets, they show diverse mechanisms of action and effects on eukaryotic cells. Exolysin is a secreted 170 kDa pore-forming toxin employed by clonal outliers of Pseudomonas aeruginosa providing to some strains a hyper-virulent behaviour. This group of strains lacks the major virulence factor used by classical strains, the Type III secretion system. Here, we review the structural features of the toxin, the mechanism of its secretion and the effects of the pore formation on eukaryotic cells.

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