Structural and Biochemical Characterization of the YaxAB Pore-forming Toxin from Yersinia Enterocolitica

This title is printed to order. This book may have been self-published. If so, we cannot guarantee the quality of the content. In the main most books will have gone through the editing process however some may not. We therefore suggest that you be aware of this before ordering this book. If in doubt check either the author or publisher’s details as we are unable to accept any returns unless they are faulty. Please contact us if you have any questions.

This book discusses the decoding of the lytic mechanism of an -helical pore-forming toxin, YaxAB, composed of two different subunits. Pore-forming toxins (PFTs) are among the most common bacterial toxins. They are produced by a variety of pathogens, which infect a wide range of organisms including plants, insects and humans. Yet the maturation of these particles and the structural changes required for pore formation are still poorly understood for many PFT families. Using a diverse panel of biochemical and structural techniques, including X-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy, Dr. Brauning and colleagues have succeeded in identifying the mechanistic contributions of the two toxin components and elucidating the lytic state of the pore complex. The results of this thesis on the YaxAB system are applicable to orthologues from agriculturally relevant insect pathogens, and offer valuable structural and mechanistic insights to inform future bioengineering efforts.