Drug Design, Development and Therapy (Sep 2021)
Pore-Forming Toxins During Bacterial Infection: Molecular Mechanisms and Potential Therapeutic Targets
Abstract
Haijie Hu, Min Liu, Shuang Sun Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resistance Biology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Cell Biology in Universities of Shandong, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, 250014, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Shuang SunInstitute of Biomedical Sciences, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resistance Biology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Cell Biology in Universities of Shandong, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, 250014, People’s Republic of ChinaTel/Fax +86-531-8618-2516Email [email protected]: Bacterial infections are predominantly treated with antibiotics, and resistance to antibiotics is becoming an increasing threat to our health. Pore-forming toxins (PFTs) are virulence factors secreted by many pathogenic bacterial strains, both in acute and chronic infections. They are special membrane-targeting proteins that exert toxic effects by forming pores in the cell membrane. Recent studies have elucidated the structure of PFTs and the detailed molecular mechanisms of their pathogenicity. Here, we discuss recent findings that highlight the regulatory mechanisms and important roles of two types of PFTs, α-PFTs and β-PFTs, in mediating the virulence of bacteria, and the therapeutic potential of targeting PFTs for antibacterial treatment. Therapeutic strategies based on PFTs are highly specific and may alleviate the issue of increasing resistance to antibiotics.Keywords: bacterial infections, pore-forming toxins, virulence factors, disease, treatment
