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The Cholesterol-Dependent Cytolysins

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Book cover Pore-Forming Toxins

Part of the book series: Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology ((CT MICROBIOLOGY,volume 257))

Abstract

The cholesterol-dependent cytolysins (CDCs) are one of the most widely disseminated toxins known. The toxin gene or the gene product has been identified in numerous species from five different genera of gram-positive bacteria. These genera include Clostridium, Bacillus, Streptococcus, Listeria, and most recently Arcanobacterium. The fact that this gene is so widely distributed among these various pathogenic bacteria suggests that it fills an important role in the pathogenic mechanism of these organisms. The CDCs also exhibit many unique features, including an absolute dependence of their cytolytic activity on the presence of cholesterol in the membrane and the formation of very large oligomeric complexes, and therefore pores, on the membranes of cells. These toxins have been shown to be cytolytic to many eukaryotic cell types, although the bulk of the literature has focused on the hemolytic activity of these toxins. The crystal structure of one CDC has been solved, and experimental approaches combining molecular biology techniques and various biophysical analyses have helped uncover fundamental features by which these toxins assemble and insert into the membrane. Several excellent reviews have been published on these toxins, but this review will focus on recent advances that have elucidated some of the structure-function relationships of CDC toxins.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, 73190, USA

    R. K. Tweten

  2. The Ian Potter Foundation Protein Crystallography Laboratory, St. Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research, 41 Victoria Parade, Fitzroy, Victoria, 3065, Australia

    M. W. Parker

  3. Departments of Medical Biochemistry and Genetics, of Chemistry, and of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-1114, USA

    A. E. Johnson

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  1. R. K. Tweten
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  2. M. W. Parker
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  3. A. E. Johnson
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Departement de Biochimie Sciences II, Quai Ernest-Ansermet, 1211, Genéve 4, Switzerland

    F. Gisou van der Goot

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© 2001 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Tweten, R.K., Parker, M.W., Johnson, A.E. (2001). The Cholesterol-Dependent Cytolysins. In: van der Goot, F.G. (eds) Pore-Forming Toxins. Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology, vol 257. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-56508-3_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-56508-3_2

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

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