Clostridium botulinum Toxin B Antibodies

Target Information

Clostridium botulinum Toxin B (BoNT/B) is one of the protein neurotoxins produced by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum, which is a Gram-positive, anaerobic organism. BoNT/B, along with other botulinum toxins, is a primary virulence factor responsible for causing botulism, a serious and potentially fatal condition characterized by flaccid paralysis. BoNT/B specifically targets peripheral nerve terminals, inhibiting the release of neurotransmitters by cleaving synaptic vesicle-associated proteins, thus preventing synaptic vesicle fusion with the nerve terminal membrane. This blockade at neuromuscular junctions leads to prolonged muscle paralysis. Structurally, BoNT/B, like other botulinum toxins, consists of a heavy chain and a light chain connected by a disulfide bond. The heavy chain facilitates binding to neuronal cells and translocation into the cytosol, while the light chain acts as a protease to cleave specific proteins involved in neurotransmitter release.