Structure and function of RTX toxins

Alexandre Chenal (1) , Ana Cristina Sotomayor Pérez (1) , Daniel Ladant (1)

1 Biochimie des Interactions Macromoléculaires / Biochemistry of Macromolecular Interactions

Repeat-in-ToXin (RTX) toxins are pathogenic factors produced by a wide variety of Gram-negative bacteria. These toxins are commonly known as hemolysins or leukotoxins, as they are able to form pores in the membrane of their eukaryotic target cells. The most salient structural characteristic of RTX toxins is that they have tandem repetitions of nonapeptidic motifs that constitute specific calcium-binding sites. The RTX toxins are secreted by a type I secretion system (T1SS) and fold in the presence of calcium into their active cytolytic forms. RTX toxins mainly target the immune cells and contribute to the virulence of their bacterial host.

Mots clés: Repeat-in-ToXin (RTX) motif; calcium-binding; pore-forming; cytolytic; hemolysin; leukotoxin; type I secretion system (T1SS); Gram-negative bacteria; virulence factor

Domaines: Sciences du Vivant [q-bio]

Alexandre Chenal, Ana Cristina Sotomayor Pérez, Daniel Ladant. Structure and function of RTX toxins. The Comprehensive Sourcebook of Bacterial Protein Toxins, Elsevier, pp.677-718, 2015, 978-0-12-800188-2. ⟨10.1016/B978-0-12-800188-2.00023-9⟩. ⟨pasteur-02882280⟩