Identification of a diphtheria toxin-like gene family beyond the Corynebacterium genus.
FEBS Lett
; 592(16): 2693-2705, 2018 08.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-30058084
ABSTRACT
Diphtheria toxin (DT), produced by Corynebacterium diphtheria, is the causative agent of diphtheria and one of the most potent protein toxins known; however, it has an unclear evolutionary history. Here, we report the discovery of a DT-like gene family in several bacterial lineages outside of Corynebacterium, including Austwickia and Streptomyces. These DT-like genes form sister lineages in the DT phylogeny and conserve key DT features including catalytic and translocation motifs, but possess divergent receptor-binding domains. DT-like genes are not associated with corynephage, but have undergone lateral transfer through a separate mechanism. The discovery of the first non-Corynebacterium homologs of DT sheds light on its evolutionary origin and highlights novelties that may have resulted in the emergence of DT targeting humans.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Streptomyces
/
Bacterial Toxins
Type of study:
Diagnostic_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
Language:
En
Journal:
FEBS Lett
Year:
2018
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country: