Sandbox Reserved 403

This Sandbox is Reserved from September 14, 2021, through May 31, 2022, for use in the class Introduction to Biochemistry taught by User:John Means at the University of Rio Grande, Rio Grande, OH, USA. This reservation includes 5 reserved sandboxes (Sandbox Reserved 1590 through Sandbox Reserved 1594).

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Tetanospasmin (TeNT)(Tetanus Neurotoxin)

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The gram positive bacilli Clostridium tetani is the bacteria responsible for the disease state of tetanus. The presence of the bacteria does not cause the disease but instead the toxins it produces cause the disease state. C. tetani produces two toxins; tetanospasmin and tetanolysin. The role or function of tetanolysin is unknown but it is believed to assist tetanospasmin. Tetanospasmin is the cause of tetanus and is sometimes referred to as tetanus neurotoxin (TeNT), as it acts on the central nervous system. Tetanospasmin makes its way to the central nervous system via retrograde axonal flow beginning with α- motor neurons. Tetanospasmin is a 150-kDa toxin that is composed of one light chain (50-kDa) and one heavy chain (100-kDa). The light chain is responsible for the toxicity of the molecule, whereas the heavy chain is responsible for binding the toxin to the axonal membranes. The heavy chain can also be cleaved into 2 fragments HN and HC. The HN fragment is responsible for the translocation of the light chain across the axonal membrane, whereas the HC fragment binds to the axonal membrane via gangliosidic bonds. Gangliosides are in the category of glycosphingolipids and are found predominately in neuronal tissues.