Pertussis toxin that encode Ptl proteins. Together, these proteins form the PT secretion complex. PT is released from "B. pertussis" in an inactive form. Following PT binding to a cell membrane receptor, it is taken up in an endosome, after which it undergoes retrograde transport to the trans-Golgi network and endoplasmic reticulum. At some point during this transport, the A subunit (or protomer) becomes activated, perhaps through the action of glutathione and ATP. PT catalyzes the ADP-ribosylation of the α subunits of the heterotrimeric G protein. This prevents the G proteins from interacting with G protein-coupled receptors on the cell membrane, thus
Tay–Sachs disease Researchers are looking at gene therapy or enzyme replacement therapy as possible treatments. Tay–Sachs disease is typically first noticed in infants around 6 months old displaying an abnormally strong response to sudden noises or other stimuli, known as the "startle response". There may also be listlessness or muscle stiffness (hypertonia). The disease is classified into several forms, which are differentiated based on the onset age of neurological symptoms. Until the 1970s and 1980s, when the disease's molecular genetics became known, the juvenile and adult forms of the disease were not always recognized as variants of Tay–Sachs disease. Post-infantile Tay–Sachs was