产气荚膜梭菌ε毒素的研究进展

Research advance of Clostridium perfringens epsilon toxin

产气荚膜梭菌(Clostridium perfringens)ε毒素(epsilon toxin,ETX)可导致牛羊等宿主动物的坏死性肠炎,以及肺脏、肾脏和脑部等多器官的损伤,导致感染动物的生产效能下降,还因为毒性较强被列入生物战剂和生物恐怖剂清单。ETX通过在靶细胞膜上形成孔道,导致内容物的异常释放,从而损伤细胞,其中髓鞘和淋巴细胞蛋白(myelin and lymphocyte,MAL)是ETX发挥毒性效应的特异性受体。目前ETX的防治手段有限,仅适用于动物的粗制疫苗,适用于人类的疫苗仍在研发之中,并且潜在治疗药物在探索中。近年来,研究者在ETX的成孔机制、特异性受体、疫苗和治疗药物的研究方面取得了较多的进展。本文对上述几个方面进行综述,旨在为ETX的进一步研究提供有价值的参考。

Clostridium perfringens epsilon toxin(ETX)can cause necrotic enteritis and injuries in the lungs,kidneys,and brain to the host animals such as cattle and sheep,affecting the development of animal husbandry.Due to its potent toxicity,ETX has been categorized as a biological warfare and bioterrorism agent.ETX damages the target cells by forming pores in the cell membrane,resulting in abnormal release of cell contents,during which myelin and lymphocyte(MAL)is a specific receptor for ETX to exert toxic effects.There are only crude ETX vaccines for use in animals,while the vaccines for human application are still under development,and potential treatments are actively being explored.In recent years,researchers have achieved significant progress in understanding the pore-forming mechanism of ETX,identifying specific receptors,and developing vaccines and therapeutic drugs.This paper reviews the progress in the aforementioned aspects,aiming to offer valuable references for further ETX research.