Bacterial toxins: Offensive, defensive, or something else altogether?

cb
Thumbnail Image
Files
3851.pdf(2.44 MB)
Published Version
Date
2017-09-21
Authors
Rudkin, Justine K.
McLoughlin, Rachel M.
Preston, Andrew
Massey, Ruth C.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Public Library of Science
Published Version
10.1371/journal.ppat.1006452
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Abstract
The secretion of proteins that damage host tissue is well established as integral to the infectious processes of many bacterial pathogens. However, recent advances in our understanding of the activity of toxins suggest that the attributes we have assigned to them from early in vitro experimentation have misled us into thinking of them as merely destructive tools. Here, we will discuss the multifarious ways in which toxins contribute to the lifestyle of bacteria and, by considering their activity from an evolutionary perspective, demonstrate how this extends far beyond their ability to destroy host tissue
Description
Keywords
Toxins , Bacterial pathogens , Bacterial biofilms , Staphylococcus aureus , Host cells , Biofilms , Bordetella pertussis , Nose
Citation
Rudkin, J. K., McLoughlin, R. M., Preston, A. and Massey, R. C. (2017) 'Bacterial toxins: Offensive, defensive, or something else altogether?', PLOS Pathogens, 13(9), e1006452 (12pp). doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1006452
Link to publisher’s version
http://journals.plos.org/plospathogens/article?id=10.1371/journal.ppat.1006452
URI
https://hdl.handle.net/10468/5150
Collections
Microbiology - Journal Articles
Copyright
© 2017, Rudkin et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.