Shiga-like toxin
| Shiga-like toxin beta subunit | |||||||||
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| Identifiers | |||||||||
| Symbol | SLT_beta | ||||||||
| Pfam | PF02258 | ||||||||
| InterPro | IPR003189 | ||||||||
| SCOP | 2bos | ||||||||
| SUPERFAMILY | 2bos | ||||||||
| TCDB | 1.C.54 | ||||||||
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| Available protein structures: | |
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| Pfam | structures |
| PDB | RCSB PDB; PDBe; PDBj |
| PDBsum | structure summary |
Shiga-like toxin, also known as verotoxin and verocytotoxin, is a toxin generated by some strains of Escherichia coli (but see below). It is named for its similarity to the AB5-type Shiga toxin produced by the bacteria Shigella dysenteriae (see Vero cell).
There are two types, known as SLT1 and SLT2.
In 1977, researchers in Ottawa, Ontario discovered the Shiga toxin normally produced by Shigella dysenteriae in a line of E. coli. The E. coli version of the toxin was named "verotoxin" because of its ability to kill Vero cells (African green monkey kidney cells) in culture. Shortly after, the verotoxin was referred to as Shiga-like toxin because of its similarities to Shiga toxin.
It has been suggested by some researchers that the gene coding for Shiga-like toxin comes from a toxin-converting lambdoid bacteriophage, such as H-19B or 933W, inserted into the bacteria's chromosome via transduction.Phylogenetic studies of the diversity of E. coli suggest that it may have been relatively easy for Shiga toxin to transduce into certain strains of E. coli, because Shigella is itself a subgenus of Escherichia; in fact, some strains traditionally considered E. coli (including those that produce this toxin) in fact belong to this lineage. Being closer relatives of Shigella dysenteriae than of the typical E. coli, it is not at all unusual that toxins similar to that of S. dysenteriae are produced by these strains.
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