Tetanospasmin

• UniProt: P04958

• CAS Number: 676570-37-9

676570-37-9

Risk

The tetanus toxin or tetanospasmin is the most important of the exotoxins produced by Clostridium tetani. It acts directly neurotoxic by proteolysis of SNARE proteins. Tetanospasmin is a 150 kDa protein. It is sometimes actively secreted by the bacteria, in part, released by lysis of bacteria. The toxin is composed of two subunits. The heavy chain protein is responsible for the binding of the toxin to gangliosides of nerve cells, while the light chain mediates neurotoxicity. The toxin inhibits presynaptic inhibitory synapses on the spinal motor neurons and the release of the neurotransmitters glycine and GABA. Clinically, this is shown in a spastic paralysis. Tetanospasmin seems to be plasmid-coded in the rule.

It is the second most powerful bacterial toxin of the botulinum toxin. It splits like this, the vesicle membrane protein synaptobrevin.

The detection of tetanospasmin occurs at high suspicion in animal experiments. Mice typically show a seal position. Already 0.1 ng tetanospasmin kill a mouse within 48 hours.

Tetanospasmin lets inactivate by formalin, so you get the tetanus toxoid, which is used in the active tetanus vaccination.

The German toxicologist Ernst Habermann was a pioneer in the elucidation of structure and function of the Tetanospasmins.