The bicomponent pore-forming leucocidins of Staphylococcus aureus.

ABSTRACT: The ability to produce water-soluble proteins with the capacity to oligomerize and form pores within cellular lipid bilayers is a trait conserved among nearly all forms of life, including humans, single-celled eukaryotes, and numerous bacterial species. In bacteria, some of the most notable pore-forming molecules are protein toxins that interact with mammalian cell membranes to promote lysis, deliver effectors, and modulate cellular homeostasis. Of the bacterial species capable of producing pore-forming toxic molecules, the Gram-positive pathogen Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most notorious. S. aureus can produce seven different pore-forming protein toxins, all of which are believed to play a unique role in promoting the ability of the organism to cause disease in humans and other ma

SUBMITTER: Alonzo F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4054254 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature