Are bacterial exotoxins cytokine network regulators?
Henderson B; Wilson M; Wren B Cellular Microbiology Research Group, Eastman Dental Institute, University College London, UK. b.henderson@eastman.ucl.ac.uk Bacterial exotoxins are generally thought to act by damaging cells or altering cell metabolism. However, recent work has established that many exotoxins modulate eukaryotic cell cytokine synthesis. Cytokine induction may play a significant role in exotoxin action, and therapeutic targeting of cytokines could be beneficial in infectious diseases involving bacterial exotoxins.
