Pore-Forming Toxins (PFTs): Never Out of Fashion

Dear Colleagues,

Pore-forming toxins (PFTs) are ubiquitous peptides and proteins present in a wide variety of organisms, from prokaryotes to multicellular eukaryotes. Given their toxic character, they abound in venoms. Usually produced as water-soluble components, they suffer different conformational and oligomerization arrangements to become integral membrane structures, forming a pore. Typically, this pore leads to the death of the target cell by osmotic shock. Although most of them share a general mode of action, there is still much to learn about the particulars of their mechanism. Some PFTs recognize specific protein membrane receptors to achieve their action, but many others take advantage of the different membrane composition among organisms and/or cellular organelles. Accordingly, in many instances, PFTs target specific lipids such as sphingomyelin or cholesterol. Overall, further understanding PFTs molecular mechanisms will expand the available repertoire of pharmacological and biotechnological tools and will help to improve our knowledge of venoms composition and envenomation.

Prof. Dr. Alvaro Martínez-del-Pozo
Dr. Sara García Linares
Guest Editors

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