Preferred Label : Anthrax Toxin Pathway;
NCIt related terms : Anthrax Toxin Mechanism of Action;
Alternative definition : BIOCARTA: One of the key causes of anthrax virulence is the action of three specific
factors produced by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis. Even with successful antibiotic
treatment, anthrax toxins can remain in the circulation and cause lethality. The toxins
produced by anthrax bacteria are lethal factor (LF), protective antigen (PA) and edema
factor (EF). The entry of toxin into cells begins with the recognition of a cellular
receptor in the plasma membrane by PA. Proteolytic cleavage of cell-bound PA creates
a smaller fragment that then multimerizes into a pore-like structure in the plasma
membrane. The LF and EF proteins bind to the PA pre-pore, followed by internalization
of the entire structure through receptor-mediated endocytosis. In the endosomal compartment,
the acidic pH causes a conformational change that inserts PA fragments and releases
LF and EF into the cytoplasm. In the cytoplasm, LF acts as a protease that cleaves
MAP kinase kinase (MAPKK 1 and MAPKK 2), inhibiting pathways that rely on this kinase
family and causing cell death. Edema factor is an adenylate cyclase that inhibits
the immune response, including phagocytosis by macrophages. (This definition may be
outdated - see the DesignNote.);
NCIt note : The BIOCARTA Definition (ALT_DEFINITION) for this pathway concept was provided by
BioCarta. This property was not created by, nor is it maintained by the NCI Thesaurus
staff. Additionally, BioCarta is no longer updating its pathway data; thus, the BIOCARTA
Definition might be outdated or inaccurate. Please see the Terms and Conditions for
Use at http://www.biocarta.com/.;
Biocarta ID : h_anthraxPathway;
Origin ID : C38986;
UMLS CUI : C1510921;
Semantic type(s)
- has_gene_product_element
- pathway_has_gene_element
