Everything Illuminated-Clostridium perfringens ß-toxin.

ABSTRACT

In this issue of Cell Host & Microbe, Bruggisser et al. show that Clostridium perfringens ß-toxin (CPB) binds platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM-1) (also known as CD31) to induce membrane pores. The discovery explains the cell type specificity for CPB and, in large part, the basic pathophysiology of disease.