Ascenzi Paolo, Visca Paolo, Ippolito Giuseppe, Spallarossa Andrea, Bolognesi Martino, Montecucco Cesare
Department of Biology and Interdepartmental Laboratory for Electron Microscopy, University Roma Tre, Viale G. Marconi 446, 00146, Rome, Italy.
FEBS Lett. 2002 Nov 20;531(3):384-8. doi: 10.1016/s0014-5793(02)03609-8.
Anthrax is a severe bacterial infection that occurs when Bacillus anthracis spores gain access into the body and germinate in macrophages, causing septicemia and toxemia. Anthrax toxin is a binary A-B toxin composed of protective antigen (PA), lethal factor (LF), and edema factor (EF). PA mediates the entry of either LF or EF into the cytosol of host cells. LF is a zinc metalloprotease that inactivates mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase inducing cell death, and EF is an adenylyl cyclase impairing host defences. Inhibitors targeting different steps of toxin activity have recently been developed. Anthrax toxin has also been exploited as a therapeutic agent against cancer.
炭疽是一种严重的细菌感染，当炭疽芽孢杆菌孢子进入人体并在巨噬细胞中萌发时就会发生，从而导致败血症和毒血症。炭疽毒素是一种由保护性抗原（PA）、致死因子（LF）和水肿因子（EF）组成的二元A-B毒素。PA介导LF或EF进入宿主细胞的细胞质。LF是一种锌金属蛋白酶，可使丝裂原活化蛋白激酶激酶失活，从而诱导细胞死亡，而EF是一种腺苷酸环化酶，会损害宿主防御。最近已开发出针对毒素活性不同步骤的抑制剂。炭疽毒素也已被用作抗癌治疗剂。
