MOLECULAR MECHANISMS OF ACTION OF BACTERIAL EXOTOXINS

Toxins are one of the inventive strategies that bacteria have develope d in order to survive. As virulence factors, they play a major role in the pathogenesis of infectious diseases. Recent discoveries have once more highlighted the effectiveness of these precisely adjusted bacter ial weapons. Furthermore, toxins have become an invaluable tool in the investigation of fundamental cell processes, including regulation of cellular functions by various G proteins, cytoskeletal dynamics and ne ural transmission, In this review, the bacterial toxins are presented in a rational classification based on the molecular mechanisms of acti on.