%0 Journal Article
%T Fragment C of Tetanus Toxin: New Insights into Its Neuronal Signaling Pathway
%A Ana C. Calvo
%A Sara Oliv¨˘n
%A Raquel Manzano
%A Pilar Zaragoza
%A Jos¨¦ Aguilera
%A Rosario Osta
%J International Journal of Molecular Sciences
%D 2012
%I MDPI AG
%R 10.3390/ijms13066883
%X When Clostridium tetani was discovered and identified as a Gram-positive anaerobic bacterium of the genus Clostridium, the possibility of turning its toxin into a valuable biological carrier to ameliorate neurodegenerative processes was inconceivable. However, the non-toxic carboxy-terminal fragment of the tetanus toxin heavy chain (fragment C) can be retrogradely transported to the central nervous system; therefore, fragment C has been used as a valuable biological carrier of neurotrophic factors to ameliorate neurodegenerative processes. More recently, the neuroprotective properties of fragment C have also been described in vitro and in vivo, involving the activation of Akt kinase and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling cascades through neurotrophin tyrosine kinase (Trk) receptors. Although the precise mechanism of the molecular internalization of fragment C in neuronal cells remains unknown, fragment C could be internalized and translocated into the neuronal cytosol through a clathrin-mediated pathway dependent on proteins, such as dynamin and AP-2. In this review, the origins, molecular properties and possible signaling pathways of fragment C are reviewed to understand the biochemical characteristics of its intracellular and synaptic transport.
%K clathrin-mediated pathway
%K dynamin
%K fragment C
%K tetanus toxin
%K neurotrophin
%K Trk receptors
%U http://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/13/6/6883