Pore formation is a common mechanism of action for many bacterial toxins. More than one
third of clostridial toxins are pore-forming toxins (PFTs) belonging to the β-PFT class. They
are secreted as soluble monomers rich in β-strands, which recognize a specific receptor on
target cells and assemble in oligomers. Then, they undergo a conformational change
leading to the formation of a β-barrel, which inserts into the lipid bilayer forming functional
pore. According to their structure, clostridial β-PFTs are divided into several families …