Shiga Toxin

**Semantic type:** Amino Acid, Peptide, or Protein|Hazardous or Poisonous Substance

**Definition:** A bacterial toxin produced by Shigella dysenteriae and by some strains of E. coli that inhibits protein synthesis by blocking the interaction of ribosomal RNA with peptide elongation factors. The non-catalytic beta subunit of Shiga toxin may be useful as a fusion vector for induction of antigen-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte responses.