New insights into the toxin behind tetanus

“Our discovery could be used to design new medicines”, says Pål Stenmark, Associate Professor at the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University. Dr Stenmark and his research team have determined the three-dimensional structure of the entire tetanus toxin protein. “We can now see the exact positions of the 20 000 atoms that build up the tetanus toxin. It means that we can see how both the toxin and vaccine actually look. Botulinum neurotoxins and the tetanus toxin are the deadliest toxins known to man. The toxins are large proteins that are made by specialised bacteria. The bacteria that produce the tetanus toxin are found in common soil and flourish in untended wounds. One unusual feature of the tetanus toxin is that it travels in nerve cells to the spinal cord from where it can cause life-threatening cramping and spasms.” These start with the shorter nerves in the face (lockjaw) and move on...