Pore-Forming Toxins

Dear Colleagues,

Pore-forming toxins (PFTs) are extracellular proteins that contribute to virulence of a variety of pathogenic bacteria. The PFTs are generally cytotoxic/cytolytic because they create unregulated small pores or channels in the plasma membrane of target cells. In addition, the toxins often disturb the signal pathways of the target cells via the non-lytic membrane damage, which may result in confusion of the cell functions or triggering the apoptotic cascade. Some animal toxins, such as melittin from a honeybee, a-latorotoxin from spider venoms, and cytolysins from sea anemones, are also categorized into this toxin group. The PFTs can be divided into two subgroups based on the type of pore-forming structures, namely, a-pore-forming toxins and b-pore-forming toxins. This Special Issue deals with various aspects of PFTs, which include biochemical and pathological properties, crystal structures of the pores created, the molecular mechanism of the toxic actions, and the development of inhibitors or antagonists to prevent the toxic actions.

Prof. Dr. Shin-ichi Miyoshi
Guest Editor

Submission

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. Papers will be published continuously (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the Special Issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are refereed through a peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on theInstructions for Authors page. Toxins is an international peer-reviewed Open Access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 800 CHF (Swiss Francs). English correction and/or formatting fees of 250 CHF (Swiss Francs) will be charged in certain cases for those articles accepted for publication that require extensive additional formatting and/or English corrections.