Shiga toxin: Difference between revisions

'''Shiga Toxins''' are a family of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AB5_toxin AB5] toxins (Stx1 and Stx2) which cause dysentery, hemolytic-uremic syndrome, and potentially renal failure in humans.  They are primarily secreted by Shiga toxin-encoding Escherichia coli (STEC), notably by the 0157:H7 strain<ref name=Wagner>PMID: 12010491</ref> and shigella dysentarie.  STECs are one of the major foodborne pathogens, affecting both developed and third-world countries.  The stx gene is not endogenous to these strains, but is introduced through horizontal gene transfer from environmental prophages of the lambdoid bacteriophage family and incorporated into the E. Coli genome.<ref name=Wagner>PMID: 12010491</ref>  Shiga Toxins are closely related to [[ricin]], which is structurally and mechanistically similar.  Shiga toxin acts to inhibit protein synthesis in eukaryotic cells and is the main virulence factor of STEC.