[Bacterial enterotoxin receptors]

Bacterial enterotoxin receptors. Enteric bacterial toxins display a great diversity in their structure, molecular weight and mechanism of action. The interaction of enterotoxins with the intestinal mucosa either leads to a direct effect on the cell membrane or an effect on signal transduction within eukaryotic cells. However, before a toxin can affect a cell, it must after its secretion by a microorganism, recognise and bind to a specific surface molecule, its receptor. Membrane receptors of bacterial enterotoxins have been identified as protein, glycoprotein or glycolipid in nature. The chemical nature of the molecules acting as receptors is crucial and during evolution they have been carefully selected. Some toxins, after their interaction with a receptor molecule, will transduce a signal across the cell membrane while remaining at the cell surface. Other toxins, after this initial binding step with a receptor, will be internalised. Others can form pores leading to leakage of cellular components and cell lysis. Receptors that have been identified often comprise a saccharidic chain that is directly involved in the recognition and binding of the toxin. Today, models explaining toxin-receptor interactions are more complex, including multistep events. This review summarises the knowledge of the interactions between bacterial toxins and membrane receptors present on intestinal mucosa.