How botulinum toxin and its partner proteins survive food and cross the gut
Structural studies of the OrfX-type progenitor toxin complex of botulinum neurotoxin
Researchers are mapping how botulinum toxin and its partner proteins protect the toxin in food and help it cross the intestinal lining, to guide better prevention and treatments for foodborne botulism.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California-Irvine NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Irvine, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11291826 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This project focuses on the OrfX-type protein complex that naturally accompanies botulinum toxin when bacteria make it. Researchers will determine the three-dimensional shapes and interactions of the OrfX proteins and the toxin to see how they shield the toxin in the digestive tract and help it get past the intestinal barrier. The work uses laboratory structural and biochemical approaches to reveal how these complexes work at a molecular level. Understanding these mechanisms could point to new ways to block ingestion, improve detection of contaminated food, or make medical uses of botulinum safer.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People affected by or at risk for foodborne botulism, or those interested in contributing clinical samples to toxin research, would be the most relevant to follow or support this work.
Not a fit: This research is lab-based basic science and will not provide direct or immediate treatment to someone currently sick with botulism.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the results could lead to better ways to prevent or block foodborne botulism and improve safety measures for therapeutic uses of botulinum toxins.
How similar studies have performed: Previous structural studies of the HA-type toxin complexes (for example with BoNT/A) have successfully shown how helper proteins protect the toxin and aid uptake, but the OrfX-type complexes are less well understood and this work is more novel.
Where this research is happening
Irvine, United States
- University of California-Irvine — Irvine, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Jin, Rongsheng — University of California-Irvine
- Study coordinator: Jin, Rongsheng
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.