diphtheria toxinmedical dictionary

<protein>

An ab exotoxin (62 kD) coded by _ corynephage of virulent Corynebacterium diphtheriae strains (that can produce a repressor of toxin production). The B subunit binds to receptors on the surface of the target cell and facilitates the entry of the enzymically active A subunit (21 kD) that ADP ribosylates elongation factor 2, thereby halting mRNA translation.

This entry appears with permission from the Dictionary of Cell and Molecular Biology

(11 Mar 2008)