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Related Concept Videos

Bacterial Toxins01:12

Bacterial Toxins

Bacterial toxins are sophisticated virulence factors that enable pathogenic bacteria to interact with, invade, and damage host tissues. These toxins fall broadly into two types: protein exotoxins, which are secreted into the environment and target specific host receptors, and lipopolysaccharide endotoxins, which are structural components of the bacterial outer membrane released primarily during bacterial lysis or membrane shedding. Exotoxins generally act more selectively, binding to cell...
Diphtheria01:28

Diphtheria

Diphtheria is an acute, toxin-mediated infectious disease that primarily affects the upper respiratory tract. It is caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae, a Gram-positive, pleomorphic rod that lacks spore-forming capability and exhibits a characteristic club-shaped morphology under microscopic examination. While C. diphtheriae can asymptomatically colonize mucosal surfaces, clinical disease manifests only when the bacterial strain is lysogenized by a specific β-corynephage. This phage...
Receptor-mediated Endocytosis01:20

Receptor-mediated Endocytosis

Receptor-mediated endocytosis is when bulk amounts of specific molecules are imported into a cell after binding to cell surface receptors. The molecules bound to these receptors are taken into the cell through inward folding of the cell surface membrane, which is eventually pinched off into a vesicle within the cell. Structural proteins, such as clathrin, coat the budding vesicle.
Clathrin-Mediated Endocytosis of LDL
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Pulmonary Tuberculosis II01:28

Pulmonary Tuberculosis II

Tuberculosis, or TB, is a bacterial infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. While its primary impact is on the lungs, leading to pulmonary tuberculosis, it can also affect various other organs, a condition referred to as extrapulmonary tuberculosis.
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Defense Against Bacterial Pathogens01:31

Defense Against Bacterial Pathogens

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Phagocytes
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Fungal Phylum Basidiomycota01:26

Fungal Phylum Basidiomycota

Basidiomycota is a diverse phylum of fungi that includes ecologically significant decomposers such as white rot fungi, symbionts like mycorrhizal fungi, plant pathogens such as rusts and smuts, and edible species like Agaricus bisporus (the common button mushroom). These fungi play crucial roles in nutrient cycling, symbiotic relationships, and even human health. Their defining feature is the basidium, a microscopic club-shaped structure responsible for producing basidiospores.Fruiting Bodies...

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Visualizing Lung Cellular Adaptations during Combined Ozone and LPS Induced Murine Acute Lung Injury
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Visualizing Lung Cellular Adaptations during Combined Ozone and LPS Induced Murine Acute Lung Injury

Published on: March 21, 2021

Bacillus anthracis lethal toxin reduces human alveolar epithelial barrier function.

Marybeth Langer1, Elizabeth Stewart Duggan, John Leland Booth

  • 1Pulmonary and Critical Care Division of the Department of Medicine, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA.

Infection and Immunity
|October 3, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Inhalation anthrax involves Bacillus anthracis targeting human alveolar epithelial cells, not macrophages. Lethal toxin damages lung barrier function, potentially aiding disease spread.

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Visualization of Bacterial Toxin Induced Responses Using Live Cell Fluorescence Microscopy
14:29

Visualization of Bacterial Toxin Induced Responses Using Live Cell Fluorescence Microscopy

Published on: October 1, 2012

Area of Science:

  • Pathogen-host interactions
  • Pulmonary toxicology
  • Microbial pathogenesis

Background:

  • Inhalation anthrax, caused by Bacillus anthracis, is a severe respiratory disease.
  • Bacillus anthracis utilizes virulence factors, including lethal toxin, for pathogenesis.
  • Human alveolar macrophages were previously thought to be the primary target of lethal toxin.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the target of Bacillus anthracis lethal toxin in the human lung.
  • To determine if alveolar epithelial cells are affected by lethal toxin.
  • To elucidate the role of lethal toxin in the pathogenesis of inhalation anthrax.

Main Methods:

  • Assessing lethal toxin receptor expression on human alveolar epithelial cells.
  • Evaluating the binding of protective antigen to alveolar epithelial cells.
  • Measuring MEK cleavage and cellular effects (actin rearrangement, desmosome formation, surfactant production) after lethal toxin exposure.

Main Results:

  • Human alveolar epithelial cells express the lethal toxin receptor and bind protective antigen.
  • Lethal toxin induces MEK cleavage in human alveolar epithelial cells.
  • Lethal toxin causes actin rearrangement, impairs desmosome formation, and reduces surfactant production without reducing cell viability.

Conclusions:

  • Human alveolar epithelial cells are a direct target of Bacillus anthracis lethal toxin.
  • Lethal toxin compromises lung epithelial barrier function and surfactant production.
  • Lethal toxin contributes to inhalation anthrax pathogenesis by facilitating bacterial dissemination and promoting edema.