Clostridial Neurotoxins as Enzymes: Structure and Function

Tetanus is a neuroparalytic syndrome, characterized by a spastic paralysis, which frequently leads to death, following bodily exhaustion and respiratory failure or circulatory collapse. About a century ago, Clostridium tetani was identified as the cause of the disease thus far considered to be of neurologic etiology. The bacterium was soon found to act via a toxin able to reach the spinal cord which is named tetanus neurotoxin (TeNT)(Simpson, 1989; Montecucco, 1995). Following the outline established for tetanus, botulism was soon after ...