To ensure their survival, a number of bacterial and plant species have evolved a common strategy to capture energy from other biological systems. Being imperfect pathogens, organisms synthesizing multi-subunit AB toxins are responsible for the mortality of millions of people and animals annually. Vaccination against these organisms and their toxins has proved rather ineffective in providing lon...

A substantial proportion of bacteria from five Alexandrium cultures originally isolated from various countries produced sodium channel blocking (SCB) toxins, as ascertained by mouse neuroblastoma assay. The quantities of SCB toxins produced by bacteria and dinoflagellates were noted, and the limitations in comparing the toxicities of these two organisms are discussed. The chemical nature of the...

Using a MALDI-MS based assay, the kinetic parameters for peptide glucosylation using the C. difficile toxin B glycosyltransferase domain were determined. The minimum consensus sequence for glucosylation was YXXTXFXXY and the optimal peptide found was YAPTVFDAY. Using this sequence, homogenous glucosylated proteins could be readily produced.

The recently determined crystal structures of complexes between bacterial toxin 'superantigens' and MHC class II molecules shed light on the nature of the interactions between these two molecules.

It has been over a hundred years since Shibasaburo Kitasato and Emil Adolf von Boehring's finding of a serum component that neutralizes bacterial toxins and the subsequent development of antiserum therapy. Over that time, many Japanese researchers have greatly contributed to our understanding of the molecular mechanisms for allergic and inflammatory diseases. This article is aimed at introducin...