Dissemin is shutting down on January 1st, 2025

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National Academy of Sciences, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 47(118), 2021

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2111418118

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A tripartite cytolytic toxin formed by Vibrio cholerae proteins with flagellum-facilitated secretion

This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

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Abstract

Significance Vibrio cholerae , responsible for outbreaks of cholera disease, is a highly motile organism by virtue of a single flagellum. We describe how the flagellum facilitates the secretion of three V. cholerae proteins encoded by a hitherto-unrecognized genomic island. The proteins MakA/B/E can form a tripartite toxin that lyses erythrocytes and is cytotoxic to cultured human cells. A structural basis for the cytolytic activity of the Mak proteins was obtained by X-ray crystallography. Flagellum-facilitated secretion ensuring spatially coordinated delivery of Mak proteins revealed a role for the V. cholerae flagellum considered of particular significance for the bacterial environmental persistence. Our findings will pave the way for the development of diagnostics and therapeutic strategies against pathogenic Vibrionaceae.