Medical Definition of Tetanus toxin
1.
Neurotoxin released by Clostridium tetani, becomes active when peptide cleaved proteolytically to heavy (100 kD) and light (50 kD) chains held together by disulphide bond. Heavy chain binds to disialogangliosides (GD2 and GD1b) and part of the peptide (the amino terminal B fragment) forms a pore: light chain is a zinc endopeptidase that specifically attacks synaptobrevin, to block neurotransmitters.
See: botulinum toxin
This entry appears with permission from the Dictionary of Cell and Molecular Biology
(11 Mar 2008)
Lexicographical Neighbors of Tetanus Toxin
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