Department of Molecular Biology and Nanobiotechnology, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Semin Cell Dev Biol. 2017 Dec;72:133-141. doi: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2017.07.026. Epub 2017 Jul 24.
The ancient phylum of Cnidaria contains many aquatic species with peculiar lifestyle. In order to survive, these organisms have evolved attack and defense mechanisms that are enabled by specialized cells and highly developed venoms. Pore-forming toxins are an important part of their venomous arsenal. Along some other types, the most representative are examples of four protein families that are commonly found in other kingdoms of life: actinoporins, Cry-like proteins, aerolysin-like toxins and MACPF/CDC toxins. Some of the homologues of pore-forming toxins may serve other functions, such as in food digestion, development and response against pathogenic organisms. Due to their interesting physico-chemical properties, the cnidarian pore-forming toxins may also serve as tools in medical research and nanobiotechnological applications.
刺胞动物门的古老门包含许多具有特殊生活方式的水生物种。为了生存，这些生物进化出了攻击和防御机制，这些机制是由专门的细胞和高度发达的毒液实现的。形成孔的毒素是它们毒液库的重要组成部分。除了其他一些类型，最具代表性的是在其他生命王国中常见的四种蛋白质家族的例子：肌动蛋白孔形成毒素、Cry 样蛋白、aerolysin 样毒素和 MACPF/CDC 毒素。一些孔形成毒素的同源物可能具有其他功能，例如在食物消化、发育和对病原体的反应中。由于其有趣的物理化学性质，刺胞动物的孔形成毒素也可能成为医学研究和纳米生物技术应用的工具。
