Structure of tetanospasmin

Mechanism of action of tetanospasmin

Tetanospasmin is the neurotoxin produced by the vegetative spore of Clostridium tetani in anaerobic conditions, causing tetanus. It is sometimes called spasmogenic toxin, tetanus toxin or abbreviated to TeTx or TeNT. Tetanospasmin spreads through tissue spaces into the lymphatic and vascular systems. It enters the nervous system at the myoneural junctions and migrates through nerve trunks and into the central nervous system (CNS) by retrograde axonal transport. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (957x690, 124 KB) Summary Description: Outline structure of the tetanospasmin molecule Source: Self-made in 1996 for my Medical School essay on the biochemistry of tetanus Author: Dr. Arnab K Rana Licensing File links The following pages link to this file... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (957x690, 124 KB) Summary Description: Outline structure of the tetanospasmin molecule Source: Self-made in 1996 for my Medical School essay on the biochemistry of tetanus Author: Dr. Arnab K Rana Licensing File links The following pages link to this file... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (741x1365, 105 KB) Summary Description: Mechanism or action of the tetanospasmin molecule Source: Self-made in 1996 for my Medical School essay on the biochemistry of tetanus Author: Arnab K Rana Licensing File links The following pages link to this file... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (741x1365, 105 KB) Summary Description: Mechanism or action of the tetanospasmin molecule Source: Self-made in 1996 for my Medical School essay on the biochemistry of tetanus Author: Arnab K Rana Licensing File links The following pages link to this file... A neurotoxin is a toxin that acts specifically on nerve cells, or neurons, usually by interacting with membrane proteins and ion channels. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Binomial name Clostridium tetani Flügge, 1886 Clostridium tetani is a bacterium of the genus Clostridium. ... Anaerobic is a technical word which literally means without air, as opposed to aerobic. ... Tetanus is a serious and often fatal disease caused by the neurotoxin tetanospasmin which is produced by the Gram-positive, obligate anaerobic bacterium Clostridium tetani. ... Lymph originates as blood plasma lost from the circulatory system, which leaks out into the surrounding tissues. ... It has been suggested that Circulation (physiology) be merged into this article or section. ... A diagram showing the CNS: 1. ...

The peptide tetanospasmin weighs 150-kD. It is made up of two parts: a 100-kD heavy or B-chain and a 50-kD light or A-chain. The chains are connected by a disulfide bond. The B-chain binds to disialogangliosides (GD2 and GD1b) on the neurone membrane. The A-chain, a zinc endopeptidase, attacks the vesicle-associated membrane protein (VAMP). Peptides (from the Greek πεπτος, digestible), are the family of molecules formed from the linking, in a defined order, of various amino acids. ...

This stops the affected neurones from releasing the inhibitory neurotransmitters GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) and glycine. The consequence of this is dangerous overactivity in the muscles from the smallest stimulus or, in jargon, the failure of inhibition of motor reflexes by sensory stimulation. This causes generalized contractions of the agonist and antagonist musculature, termed a tetanic spasm. Neurotransmitters are chemicals that are used to relay, amplify and modulate electrical signals between a neuron and another cell. ... Chemical structure of GABA Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a neurotransmitter in widely divergent species. ... Glycine (Gly, G) is a nonpolar amino acid. ... A top-down view of skeletal muscle Muscle is the contractile tissue of the body and is derived from the mesodermal layer of embryonic germ cells. ...

Tetanic spasms can occur in a distinctive form called opisthotonos and be sufficiently severe to fracture long bones. The shorter nerves are the first to be inhibited, which leads to the characteristic early symptoms in the face and jaw, risus sardonicus and lockjaw. The words Opisthotonos or opisthotonus stem from the Greek language, opistho for behind and tonos for tension. ... Tetanus is a serious and often fatal disease caused by the neurotoxin tetanospasmin which is produced by the Gram-positive, obligate anaerobic bacterium Clostridium tetani. ...

The toxin bind to the neurons is irreversible and nerve function can only be returned by the growth of new terminals and synapses.

Tetanospasmin is used to create the toxoid used in immunization, such as the childhood DTP vaccine. A toxoid is a bacterial toxin whose toxicity as been weakened or supressed while other properties, typically immunogenicity, are maintained. ... Immunization (AmE) or Immunisation (BE) has a number of meanings: In medicine immunization is the process by which an individual is exposed to a material that is designed to prime his or her immune system against that material. ... A vaccine is an antigenic preparation used to produce active immunity to a disease, in order to prevent or ameliorate the effects of infection by any natural or wild strain of the organism. ...

C. tetani also produces the exotoxin tetanolysin, the effects of which are as yet unclear. An exotoxin is a soluble chemical excreted by a microorganism, including bacteria, fungi, algae, and protozoa. ...