Stonefish toxin defines an ancient branch of the perforin-like superfamily
Abstract
Here, we present the structure of the pore-forming toxin stonustoxin (SNTX), the lethal factor present in stonefish venom. Our work shows that SNTX comprises two homologous subunits (α and &beta), each of which belongs to the perforin superfamily of pore-forming immune effectors. In SNTX, the α- and β-Membrane Attack Complex-Perforin/Cholesterol-Dependent Cytolysin (MACPF/CDC) domains interact and form a prepore-like complex. These data provide, to our knowledge, the first high-resolution insights into how MACPF/CDCs interact with one another during pore formation.
- Publication:
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Science
- Pub Date:
- December 2015
- DOI:
- Bibcode:
- 2015PNAS..11215360E