Enterotoxin
| Staph/Strep enterotoxin, C terminal | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 identification of a secondary zinc-binding site in staphylococcal enterotoxin c2: implications for superantigen recognition | |||||||
| Identifiers | |||||||
| Symbol | Stap_Strp_tox_C | ||||||
| Pfam | PF02876 | ||||||
| Pfam clan | CL0386 | ||||||
| InterPro | IPR006123 | ||||||
| PROSITE | PDOC00250 | ||||||
| SCOP2 | 1se3 / SCOPe / SUPFAM | ||||||
| OPM superfamily | 364 | ||||||
| OPM protein | 1dyq | ||||||
| |||||||
An enterotoxin is a protein exotoxin released by a microorganism that targets the intestines. They can be chromosomally or plasmid encoded. They are heat labile (> 60 °C), of low molecular weight and water-soluble. Enterotoxins are frequently cytotoxic and kill cells by altering the apical membrane permeability of the mucosal (epithelial) cells of the intestinal wall. They are mostly pore-forming toxins (mostly chloride pores), secreted by bacteria, that assemble to form pores in cell membranes. This causes the cells to die.