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. 1985 Mar;82(6):1692–1696. doi: 10.1073/pnas.82.6.1692

Channels formed by botulinum, tetanus, and diphtheria toxins in planar lipid bilayers: relevance to translocation of proteins across membranes.

D H Hoch, M Romero-Mira, B E Ehrlich, A Finkelstein, B R DasGupta, L L Simpson
PMCID: PMC397338  PMID: 3856850

Abstract

The heavy chains of both botulinum neurotoxin type B and tetanus toxin form channels in planar bilayer membranes. These channels have pH-dependent and voltage-dependent properties that are remarkably similar to those previously described for diphtheria toxin. Selectivity experiments with anions and cations show that the channels formed by the heavy chains of all three toxins are large; thus, these channels could serve as "tunnel proteins" for translocation of active peptide fragments. These findings support the hypothesis that the active fragments of botulinum neurotoxin and tetanus toxin, like that of diphtheria toxin, are translocated across the membranes of acidic vesicles.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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