Publications by authors named "Jennifer S Ward"

Many bacterial toxins exert their cytotoxic effects by enzymatically inactivating one or more cytosolic targets in host cells. To reach their intracellular targets, these toxins possess functional domains or subdomains that interact with and exploit various host factors and biological processes. Despite great progress in identifying many of the key host factors involved in the uptake of toxins, significant knowledge gaps remain as to how partially characterized and newly discovered microbial toxins exploit host factors or processes to intoxicate target cells.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Intestinal bile acids are crucial for modulating various aspects of disease, including how a toxin (TcdB) affects cells, and are found in different amounts in the intestines of humans and mice.
  • - Experiments revealed that small molecules from intestinal contents can inhibit TcdB, even from mice with altered bile acid profiles due to antibiotics or being germ-free.
  • - While bile acids can reduce the effects of TcdB at low levels, high doses can overpower this protection, indicating their potential role in controlling infections and influencing treatment strategies.
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