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Updated: Sep 20, 2026

Deciphering the Molecular Mechanism and Function of Pore-Forming Toxins Using Leishmania major
Published on: October 28, 2022
Cryptic clues as to how water-soluble protein toxins form pores in membranes
1Biota Structural Biology Laboratory, St Vincent's Institute of Medical Research, 9 Princes Street, Fitzroy, Victoria 3065, Australia. mwp@rubens.its.unimelb.edu.au
Abstract:
Pore-forming protein toxins possess the remarkable property that they can exist either in a stable water-soluble state or as an integral membrane pore. In order to convert from the water-soluble to the membrane state, the toxin must undergo large conformational changes. Recent work on a class of pore-forming toxins that are rich in beta-sheet content suggests a common mechanism of membrane insertion may exist despite these toxins possessing very different primary, tertiary and quaternary structures.
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