The Comprehensive Sourcebook of Bacterial Protein Toxins

Bacterial toxins play an important role in infectious diseases. Several are amongst the most potent biological agents known to man. Cholera, pertussis, botulinum, clostridium and tetanus toxins are all produced by bacteria. In many cases, it is the toxin produced and not the infectious agent itself that causes pathology. Botulinum toxin has now of course found clinical application as botox, and anthrax, and other toxins, have potentially devastating effects if misused as an agent of biological terror. This book describes the major achievements and discoveries relevant to bacterial protein toxins since the turn of the new century, illustrated by the discovery of more than fifty novel toxins (many of them identified through genome screening). The establishment of the three-dimensional crystal structure of more than 20 toxins during the same period offers deeper knowledge of structure-activity relationships and provides a framework to understand how toxins recognize receptors, penetrate membranes and interact with and modify intracellular substrates.

* Edited by two of the most highly regarded experts in the field from the Institut Pasteur, France
* 14 brand new chapters dedicated to coverage of historical and general aspects of toxinology
* Includes the major toxins of both basic and clinical interest are described in depth
* Details applied aspects of toxins such as therapy, vaccinology, and toolkits in cell biology
* Evolutionary and functional aspects of bacterial toxins evaluated and summarized
* Toxin applications in cell biology presented
* Therapy (cancer therapy, dystonias) discussed
* Vaccines (native and genetically engineered vaccines) featured
* Toxins discussed as biological weapons, comprising chapters on anthrax, diphtheria, ricin etc.

Introduction
A 116-year story of bacterial protein toxins (1888-2004): From diphtheritic poison to molecular toxinology
Evolutionary aspects of toxin-producing bacteria
Mobile genetic elements and pathogenicity islands encoding bacterial toxins
Regulation systems of toxin expression
Toxin secretion systems
Intracellular trafficking of bacterial protein toxins
Translocation of bacterial protein toxin into the cytosol
Bacterial toxins and virulence factors targeting the actin cytoskeleton and
intracellular junctions
Bacterial toxins and mitochondria
Toxins activating RHO GTPases and exploiting the cellular ubiquitin/proteasome
machineries
Toxin receptors
Molecular, functional and evolutionary aspects of ADP-ribosylating toxins
Diphtheria toxin
Attack of the nervous system by clostridial toxins: Physical findings, cellular and
molecular actions
Uptake and transport of clostridial neurotoxins
Bacillus anthracis toxins
Large clostridial cytotoxins modifying small GTPases
Bordetella protein toxins
Vibrio Cholerae and Escherichia Coli thermolabile enterotoxin
The Shiga toxins: Properties and action on cells
Helicobacter pylori vacuolating toxin
Pasteurella multocida toxin
Cytolethal distending toxins
Pseudomonas aeruginosa toxins
Escherichia coli heat- stable enterotoxin b
Paradigms and classification of bacterial membrane -damaging toxins
Membrane damaging and cytotoxic phospholipases
Bacteroides fragilis toxins
Structure and mode of action of RTX cytolysins
Genetics and phylogeny of RTX cytolysins
The family of two-component cytolysins of Serratia and other
bacteria
Alpha-helix and Beta-barrel pore-forming toxins (leucocidins, alpha-, gamma- and
delta-cytolysins) of Staphylococcus aureus
Aerolysin and related Aeromonas toxins
Clostridium septicum pore-forming alpha-toxin
Clostridium perfringens epsilon toxin
Repertoire and general features of the family of cholesterol-dependent cytolysins
Comparative three-dimensional structure of cholesterol-dependent cytolysins
Perfringolysin O and Intermedilysin: mechanisms of pore formation by the
cholesterol-dependent cytolysins
Pneumolysin: structure, function and role in disease
Listeriolysin
Enterococcus faecalis cytolysin toxin
Streptolysin S: one of the most potent and elusive of all bacterial toxins
The group B streptococcal beta-haemolysin/cytolysin
Haemolysins of Vibrio cholerae and other Vibrio species
Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin
Bacillus cereus enterotoxins, bi- and tri-component cytolysins and other
haemolysins
Uropathogenic Escherichia coli cytolysins
Escherichia coli, Vibrio and Yersinia species heat-stable enterotoxins
What are superantigens ?
Staphylococcal superantigens and the diseases they cause
Streptococcal superantigenic toxins
Superantigenic toxin of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis
Comparative three-dimensional structure of bacterial superantigenic toxins
Induction and modulation of inflammatory networks by bacterial protein toxins
Clostridial toxins in the pathogenesis of gas gangrene
Staphylococcal exfoliative toxins
Medical applications of botulinum neurotoxins
Bacterial protein toxins as food poisons
Engineering of bacterial toxins for research and medicine
Engineered bacterial toxin vaccines and adjuvants
Toxins as tools
Bacterial protein toxins as biological weapons