Pathogenic bacteria shed portions of their outer membrane, termed vesicles, that include toxins on their surface. The toxins bind to specific receptors on animal cells, allowing the vesicles intimate contact and subsequently, internalization. The internalized toxic vesicles cause structural damage to the cell, as well as eliciting an proinflammatory cytokine response from immune cells. Here we can see toxic bacterial outer membrane vesicles binding to (red and yellow), and internalized by (green), mouse adrenal cells.

Meta Kuehn
Associate Professor
Department of Biochemistry