The AB toxins are two-component protein complexes secreted by a number of pathogenicbacteria, though there is a pore-forming AB toxin found in the eggs of a snail.[1] They can be classified as Type III toxins because they interfere with internal cell function.[2] They are named AB toxins due to their components: the "A" component is usually the "active" portion, and the "B" component is usually the "binding" portion.[2][3] The "A" subunit possesses enzyme activity, and is transferred to the host cell following a conformational change in the membrane-boundtransport "B" subunit.[4] T
DT-like toxins: all toxins of these class are ADP-ribosyltransferases, which means they damage the cell by attaching a ADP-ribose moiety onto important target components: in this case eEF2.[5]
The Diphtheria toxin (DT) is an AB toxin. It inhibits protein synthesis in the host cell through ADP-ribosylation of the eukaryotic elongation factor 2 (eEF2), which is an essential component for protein synthesis. It is slightly unusual in that it combines the A and B parts in the same protein chain: the pre-toxin is cleaved into two parts, then the two parts are joined by a disulfide bond.[5]
The exotoxin A of Pseudomonas aeruginosa is another example of an AB toxin that targets the eEF2. The "A" part is structually similar to the DT "A" part; the "B" part is located to the N-terminal direction to the "A" part, unlike DT. The bioinformatically-identified "Cholix" toxin from V. cholerae is similar.[5]
AB7 toxins: all toxins of this class share a related heptameric "B" subunit, but differ in the function of their "A" part.[4]
C2-like toxins: the "A" parts are G-actin ADP-ribosyltransferases, which carry out a modification that prevents actin from polymerizing. Members include C. botulinum[6],[6]C. perfringens iota toxin and Clostridioides difficile ADP-ribosyltransferase.[7][5]
Anthrax toxins: The protective antigen (PA) is the "B" component shared by the two "A" toxins in B. anthracis: the edema factor (EF) and the lethal factor (LF).[8][9] LF is a Zn metalloprotease that cleaves MAPKK; EF is a adenylate cyclase that targets protein kinases.
AB5 toxins – all these toxins share a related pentameric "B" subunit, but differ in the function of their "A" part.
Ricin is expressed a single polypeptide that gets cleaved into two parts, one acting as "A" and the other acting as "B". Abrin is similar.
The two-phase mechanism of action of AB toxins is of particular interest in cancer therapy research. The general idea is to modify the B component of existing toxins to selectively bind to malignant cells. This approach combines results from cancer immunotherapy with the high toxicity of AB toxins, giving raise to a new class of chimeric protein drugs, called immunotoxins.[10]
^ abFujii N, Kubota T, Shirakawa S, Kimura K, Ohishi I, Moriishi K, Isogai E, Isogai H (March 1996). "Characterization of component-I gene of botulinum C2 toxin and PCR detection of its gene in clostridial species". Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 220 (2): 353–9. doi:10.1006/bbrc.1996.0409. PMID8645309.