Cell. Mol. Life Sci. 65 (2008) 1347 – 1360 1420-682X/08/091347-14 Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences DOI 10.1007/s00018-008-7496-5 Birkhuser Verlag, Basel, 2008 Review Cholera toxin structure, gene regulation and pathophysiological and immunological aspects J. Sncheza and J. Holmgrenb,* a Facultad de Medicina, UAEM, Av. Universidad 1001, Col. Chamilpa, CP62210 (Mexico) b Department of Microbiology and Immunology and Gothenburg University Vaccine Research Institute (GUVAX), University of Gçteborg, Box 435, Gothenburg, 405 30 (Sweden), e-mail:
[email protected] Received 25 October 2007; accepted 12 December 2007 Online First 19 February 2008 Abstract. Many notions regarding the function, struc- have recently been discovered. Regarding the cell ture and regulation of cholera toxin expression have intoxication process, the mode of entry and intra- remained essentially unaltered in the last 15 years. At cellular transport of cholera toxin are becoming the same time, recent findings have generated addi- clearer. In the immunological field, the strong oral tional perspectives. For example, the cholera toxin immunogenicity of the non-toxic B subunit of cholera genes are now known to be carried by a non-lytic toxin (CTB) has been exploited in the development of bacteriophage, a previously unsuspected condition. a now widely licensed oral cholera vaccine. Addition- Understanding of how the expression of cholera toxin ally, CTB has been shown to induce tolerance against genes is controlled by the bacterium at the molecular co-administered (linked) foreign antigens in some level has advanced significantly and relationships with autoimmune and allergic diseases. cell-density-associated (quorum-sensing) responses Keywords.