Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

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
One well-characterized example of receptor-mediated endocytosis is the...
Cytotoxic T Cells-mediated Immune Response01:27

Cytotoxic T Cells-mediated Immune Response

Cytotoxic T cells are a vital component of the immune system. They have the remarkable ability to identify and target antigens on infected or abnormal cells. These antigens often originate from intracellular pathogens such as viruses or abnormal proteins cancer cells produce.
Immunological surveillance is the ability of immune cells to monitor and eliminate infected cells with intracellular pathogens, neoplastically transformed cells, and cells with non-self antigens. Cytotoxic T cells and NK...
Bacterial Gastroenteritis01:18

Bacterial Gastroenteritis

Bacterial gastroenteritis, characterized by diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and vomiting, is often caused by ingestion of contaminated food or water and is frequently associated with pathogenic Escherichia coli strains. These microbes exploit two principal mechanisms to inflict disease.Shiga toxin–producing E. coli, also referred to as STEC—notably O157:H7—release Shiga toxins that target ribosomes, blocking protein synthesis. The B subunit of the toxin binds the host glycolipid receptor...
Toxicity Testing in Animals01:23

Toxicity Testing in Animals

Toxicity tests in animals are grounded on two main assumptions: first, the effects observed in laboratory animals can be extrapolated to humans, especially when adjusted for body surface area; second, high-dose exposure in animals is essential to identify potential human hazards from lower doses. This is based on the quantal dose-response concept, which faces the challenge of extrapolating results from relatively few test animals to much larger human populations. For example, a 0.01% incidence...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Spatial transcriptomics reveals differences in bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue composition in stable and rejecting human lung allografts.

The Journal of heart and lung transplantation : the official publication of the International Society for Heart Transplantation·2026
Same author

Trichrome, Congo red, and thioflavin S stains are comparable for the diagnosis of amyloid deposits in endomyocardial biopsies.

Cardiovascular pathology : the official journal of the Society for Cardiovascular Pathology·2026
Same author

The Utility of CDX2 and CK20 Immunohistochemical Reactivity to Distinguish Adenocarcinomas of the Lung From Their Benign Mimics.

Archives of pathology & laboratory medicine·2025
Same author

Tissue-resident CCR2<sup>+</sup> macrophage TREM-1/3 signaling is necessary for monocyte and neutrophil recruitment to injured hearts.

Cell reports·2025
Same author

Bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue in lung transplantation: a facilitator of rejection or regulator of tolerance?

Frontiers in immunology·2025
Same author

The menstrual cycle regulates migratory CD4 T-cell surveillance in the female reproductive tract via CCR5 signaling.

Mucosal immunology·2023

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 8, 2026

A High-throughput-compatible FRET-based Platform for Identification and Characterization of Botulinum Neurotoxin Light Chain Modulators
10:30

A High-throughput-compatible FRET-based Platform for Identification and Characterization of Botulinum Neurotoxin Light Chain Modulators

Published on: December 27, 2013

Key tissue targets responsible for anthrax-toxin-induced lethality.

Shihui Liu1, Yi Zhang, Mahtab Moayeri

  • 1Microbial Pathogenesis Section, Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA. shliu@niaid.nih.gov

Nature
|September 3, 2013
PubMed
Summary

Bacillus anthracis toxins cause lethality by damaging distinct cell types. Anthrax lethal toxin (LT) targets heart and vascular cells, while oedema toxin (ET) primarily affects liver cells (hepatocytes).

More Related Videos

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

Deciphering the Molecular Mechanism and Function of Pore-Forming Toxins Using Leishmania major
08:17

Deciphering the Molecular Mechanism and Function of Pore-Forming Toxins Using Leishmania major

Published on: October 28, 2022

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 8, 2026

A High-throughput-compatible FRET-based Platform for Identification and Characterization of Botulinum Neurotoxin Light Chain Modulators
10:30

A High-throughput-compatible FRET-based Platform for Identification and Characterization of Botulinum Neurotoxin Light Chain Modulators

Published on: December 27, 2013

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

Deciphering the Molecular Mechanism and Function of Pore-Forming Toxins Using Leishmania major
08:17

Deciphering the Molecular Mechanism and Function of Pore-Forming Toxins Using Leishmania major

Published on: October 28, 2022

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Toxicology
  • Pathophysiology

Background:

  • Bacillus anthracis causes anthrax via two exotoxins: lethal toxin (LT) and oedema toxin (ET).
  • The specific host cell targets responsible for the lethal effects of these toxins remain unidentified.
  • Capillary morphogenesis protein-2 (CMG2) is a known receptor for these toxins.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the critical cell types targeted by anthrax lethal toxin (LT) and oedema toxin (ET) that lead to host mortality.
  • To investigate the role of the anthrax toxin receptor CMG2 in mediating toxin-induced lethality across different cell types.

Main Methods:

  • Generation of cell-type-specific CMG2-null and CMG2-expressing mice.
  • Challenging these genetically modified mice with purified anthrax lethal toxin (LT) and oedema toxin (ET).
  • Assessing the contribution of specific cell types to toxin-induced mortality.

Main Results:

  • Lethality from LT involves damage to cardiomyocytes and vascular smooth muscle cells.
  • ET-induced lethality is primarily mediated through its action on hepatocytes.
  • Contrary to previous hypotheses, endothelial cell targeting by LT or ET does not significantly contribute to mortality.

Conclusions:

  • Bacillus anthracis employs LT and ET to induce host lethality by coordinately damaging distinct vital organ systems.
  • LT and ET exhibit differential cell-type tropism, targeting separate critical cellular populations for lethal effects.
  • Endothelial cells are not a primary target for anthrax toxin-induced lethality.