PHALLOIDIN AND BOTULINUM-C2-TOXIN AS TOOL S IN THE STUDY OF THE AUTOREGULATION OF CYTOSKELETAL PROTEINS

Toxins produced by plants or bacteria are responsible for a large vari ety of pathogenetic effects. The discovery of their molecular mechanis m of action presented the possibility to use some of these toxins as v aluable tools for studies in biochemistry and cellular biology. Specif ic metabolic reactions were successfully investigated by toxin depende nt inhibition or activation. For example, the autoregulation of synthe sis of the cytoskeletal protein actin was demonstrated by experiments using C2-toxin from the anaerobic bacterium Clostridium botulinum and phalloidin from the poisonous mushroom Amanita phalloides.