Pore-forming protein toxins (PFTs) are one of Nature's most potent biological weapons. An
essential feature of their toxicity is the remarkable property that PFTs can exist either in a …

More than 32 species of sea anemones have been reported to produce lethal cytolytic
peptides and proteins. Based on their primary structure and functional properties, cytolysins …

Differential scanning fluorimetry (DSF) is a rapid and inexpensive screening method to
identify low-molecular-weight ligands that bind and stabilize purified proteins. The …

The 3D structures of human therapeutic targets are enabling for drug discovery. However,
their purification and crystallization remain rate determining. In individual cases, ligands …

Publisher Summary This chapter deals with the structure of the molten globules of various
globular proteins revealed by the recent experimental studies. Recent advances in …

This protocol describes the screening of a library of low-molecular-weight compounds
(fragments) using a series of biophysical ligand-binding assays. Fragment-based drug …

Actinoporins (APs) from sea anemones are~ 20 kDa pore forming toxins with a β-sandwich
structure flanked by two α-helices. The molecular mechanism of APs pore formation is …

Sea anemones produce a family of 18–20 kDa proteins, the actinoporins, that lyse cells by
forming pores in cell membranes. Sphingomyelin plays an important role in their lytic activity …

Pore-forming toxins are protein assemblies used by many organisms to disrupt the
membranes of target cells. They are expressed as soluble monomers that assemble …

Bacterial AB toxins are secreted key virulence factors that are internalized by target cells
through receptor-mediated endocytosis, translocating their enzymatic domain to the cytosol …