Editing Tetanus toxin (section)

{{Short description|Extremely potent neurotoxin}}
{{cs1 config|name-list-style=vanc|display-authors=6}}
{{Infobox nonhuman protein
|Symbol= tetX
|Organism=''Clostridium tetani'' E88
|TaxID = 212717
|UniProt=P04958
|image=PDB 1a8d EBI.jpg
|caption=Tetanus Toxin Heavy Chain C Fragment ({{PDB|1a8d}})
| DrugBank = 
| EntrezGene = 24255210
| HomoloGene = 
| PDB = 
| RefSeqmRNA = 
| RefSeqProtein = WP_011100836.1
| ECnumber = 
| Chromosome = Genomic
| EntrezChromosome = NC_004565.1
| GenLoc_start = 68047
| GenLoc_end = 73178
}}
{{Infobox enzyme
| Name       = Tentoxilysin
| EC_number  = 3.4.24.68
| CAS_number = 107231-12-9
| GO_code    =
| image      = 
| width      = 
| caption    =  
}}
[[Image:Diagram of structure of tetanospasmin.png|thumb|340px|right|Structure of tetanospasmin]]
[[Image:Mechanism of action of tetanospasmin.gif|thumb|340px|right|Mechanism of action of tetanospasmin]]

'''Tetanus toxin''' ('''TeNT''') is an extremely potent [[neurotoxin]] produced by the vegetative cell of ''[[Clostridium tetani]]''<ref>{{DorlandsDict|eight/000107584|Tetanospasmin}}</ref> in [[Hypoxia (environmental)|anaerobic]] conditions, causing [[tetanus]]. It has no known function for clostridia in the soil environment where they are normally encountered. It is also called '''spasmogenic toxin''', '''tentoxilysin''', '''tetanospasmin''', or '''tetanus neurotoxin'''. The LD<sub>50</sub> of this toxin has been measured to be approximately 2.5&ndash;3&nbsp;ng/kg,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cdc.gov/pinkbook/hcp/table-of-contents/chapter-21-tetanus.html |title=Chapter 21: Tetanus |website=CDC |access-date=2017-01-18}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ehs.ufl.edu/programs/bio/toxins/toxin-table/|title=Toxin Table |website=Environmental Health & Safety » University of Florida |access-date=2017-01-18|archive-date=2017-01-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170118221643/http://www.ehs.ufl.edu/programs/bio/toxins/toxin-table/|url-status=dead}}</ref> making it second only to the related [[botulinum toxin]] (LD<sub>50</sub> 2&nbsp;ng/kg)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs270/en/|title=Botulism|website=World Health Organization |access-date=2017-01-18}}</ref> as the deadliest toxin in the world. However, these tests are conducted solely on mice, which may react to the toxin differently from humans and other animals.

''C. tetani'' also produces the [[exotoxin]] [[tetanolysin]], a hemolysin, that causes destruction of tissues.<ref>{{cite book| vauthors = Willey J |title=Prescott's Principles of Microbiology|url=https://archive.org/details/prescottsprincip00will|url-access=limited|year=2009|publisher=McGraw-Hill|location=New York City, NY|isbn=978-0-07-337523-6|pages=[https://archive.org/details/prescottsprincip00will/page/n497 481]}}</ref>