{
  "id": 12533523,
  "title": "Pyroptolysins are versatile, sterol-sensing bacterial toxins",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/pyroptolysins-are-versatile-sterol-sensing-bacterial-toxins",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-06T00:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "bioRxiv",
    "slug": "biorxiv",
    "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.05.756811v1?rss=1"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "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…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}