Anthrax Toxin

Abstract

Anthrax toxin is a key virulence factor of Bacillus anthracis. The three protein components of the toxin have been purified and shown to have similar molecular weights: protective antigen (PA), 85,000; lethal factor (LF), 83,000; edema factor (EF), 89,000. The edema factors acts by reusing the concentration of cAMP in animal cells, and subsequently EF was found to be a calmodulin-dependent adenylate cyclase. The similarity of EF to Bordetella pertussis and eukaryotic cyclases suggests that the anth;rax EF gene may have originated in animals. The lethal factor causes death in rats in as little as 38 minutes. No cultured cells are known which are rapidly damaged by LF.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 26, 1984
Accession Number
ADA148936

Entities

People

  • Bruce E. Ivins
  • John W. Ezzell Jr.
  • Stephen H. Leppla

Organizations

  • United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Albumins
  • Animals
  • Biological Toxins
  • Cell Line
  • Cells
  • Cellular Structures
  • Chemistry
  • Culture Techniques
  • Cultured Cells
  • Diseases And Disorders
  • Eukaryotes
  • Laboratory Animals
  • Microbiology
  • Molecular Weight
  • Proteins
  • Rodents
  • Vaccines

Fields of Study

  • Biology

Readers

  • Cellular and Molecular Pathways of Apoptosis.
  • Microbial Pathology