Pyroptolysins are versatile, sterol-sensing bacterial toxins
Gasdermin pores mediate cellular self-sacrifice for the immune defense pyroptosis. Here we describe how the gasdermin fold was repurposed during evolution into a membrane targeting bacterial toxin. These proteins, which we call pyroptolysins, are chimeras of gasdermins and cholesterol-dependent cytolysins. Like the cytolysins, pyroptolysins are active on cholesterol-rich membranes, but unlike…
We haven't written up this one. bioRxiv has the full story — the link below goes straight to it.
