Claudin-4 identified as the docking receptor for a colon-damaging gut bacterial toxin

Researchers at Johns Hopkins have identified how a toxin from the gut bacterium Bacteroides fragilis first attaches to cells lining the colon. The toxin, known as BFT, binds the tight-junction protein claudin-4, and a decoy protein built on this finding protected mice from toxin-induced damage. The work, led by Cynt…