Disarming the neurotoxin botulinum

Researchers at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute and collaborators at the Medical School of Hannover in Germany recently discovered how the botulinum neurotoxin, a potential bioterrorism agent, survives the hostile environment in the stomach on its journey through the human body. Their study reveals the first 3D structure of a neurotoxin and its bodyguard, a protein made simultaneously in the same bacterium. The bodyguard keeps the toxin safe through the gut, then lets go as the toxin enters the bloodstream. This new information also reveals the toxin’s weak spot -- a point in the process that can be targeted with new therapeutics. “Now that we better understand the structure of the bacterial machinery that was designed for highly efficient toxin protection and delivery, we can see more clearly how to break it,” said Rongsheng Jin, an assistant professor at Sanford-Burnham and senior author of the study.