Enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis Toxin: Biological Properties and Pathogenesis
A special issue of Toxins (ISSN 2072-6651). This special issue belongs to the section "Bacterial Toxins".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2026) | Viewed by 12693
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
It is with great pleasure to invite you to contribute to a Special Issue of Toxins, entitled “Enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis Toxin: Biological Properties and Pathogenesis”. The intestinal symbiont Bacteroides fragilis colonizes humans, providing a beneficial effect on host health. However, a subset of B. fragilis, called enterotoxigenic B. fragilis (ETBF), secretes the metalloprotease B. fragilis toxin (BFT, also called fragilysin), which induces the cleavage of E-cadherin, resulting in the disruption of epithelial integrity. In various animal models, ETBF infection causes proinflammatory diarrhea and colitis. In the past decade, accumulating experimental evidence suggests that ETBF-driven colitis promotes colorectal tumorigenesis, but the contribution of ETBF to human carcinogenesis still remains to be explored. A major limitation to understanding ETBF pathogenesis is the still-unidentified, elusive host cell receptor for BFT. Recent data have also raised the idea that enteric infections can also influence other clinical diseases. In this Special Issue, we welcome submissions that delve into the latest research as well as comprehensive reviews on this topic. Areas of particular interest include, but are not limited to, the following:
- BFT biological activity in the areas of cell signaling, mechanisms of target protein cleavage, and cytokine secretion.
- Investigating ETBF pathogenesis in the intestine as well as its contribution to other diseases.
- Identification of the putative BFT receptor.
- Developing approaches for the detection of ETBF and/or BFT in clinical samples, epidemiology, and outcome prediction.
- Exploring other virulence factors in ETBF strains.
Dr. Ki-Jong Rhee
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- toxin structure
- metalloprotease
- cell receptor
- cell signaling
- cell junction
- epithelium
- mucosal immunity
- host–pathogen interaction
- colitis-associated cancer
- inflammatory bowel disease
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