炭疽毒素及其细胞受体的研究进展

Progress on the Anthrax Toxin and Its Receptor

炭疽毒素由 3种蛋白组成 :保护性抗原 (protectiveantigen ,PA)、致死因子 (lethalfactor,LF)和水肿因子 (edemafactor ,EF) .综述炭疽毒素研究的最新进展 .主要介绍炭疽毒素的关键致病因子———LF的结构与功能 ,炭疽毒素膜转运成分PA的结构及其受体 (anthraxtoxinreceptor ,ATR)和其cDNA克隆的结构 ,并讨论了在炭疽的治疗、预防和毒素在肿瘤治疗中的可能应用 .

The recent progress of the study on the anthrax toxin have been reviewed. The anthrax toxin consists of three proteins: protective antigen (PA), lethal factor (LF) and edema factor (EF). PA binds to cell surface receptors on the host cell membranes. After being cleaved by a protease, PA binds to the two toxic enzymes, LF and EF, and mediates their transportation into the cytosol where they exert their pathogenic effects. The structure of lethal factor—the crucial pathogenic enzyme of anthrax toxin was described. And the cloning of the human PA receptor using a genetic complementation approach was discussed. As both PA and LF are possible targets for therapeutic agents, this review provides valuable information to researchers working towards better treatments for anthrax and tumor.