A fundamental question of eukaryotic cell biology is how membrane organelles are organised and interact with each other. Cell biologists address these questions by characterising the structural features of membrane compartments and the mechanisms that coordinate their exchange. To do so, they must rely on variety of cargo molecules and treatments that enable targeted perturbation, localisation, and labelling of specific compartments. In this context, bacterial toxins emerged in cell biology as paradigm shifting molecules that enabled scientists to not only study them from the side of bacterial infection but also from the side of the mammalian host. Their selectivity, potency, and versatility made them exquisite tools for uncovering much of our current understanding of membrane trafficking mechanisms. Here, we will follow the steps that lead toxins until their intracellular targets, highlighting how specific events helped us comprehend membrane trafficking and establish the fundamentals of various cellular organelles and processes. Bacterial toxins will continue to guide us in answering crucial questions in cellular biology while also acting as probes for new technologies and applications.

中文翻译：

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通过细菌毒素的镜头看到的哺乳动物膜运输。

真核细胞生物学的一个基本问题是膜细胞器如何组织以及如何相互作用。细胞生物学家通过表征膜区室的结构特征和协调其交换的机制来解决这些问题。为此，他们必须依靠各种货物分子和处理方法，以实现针对性的扰动，定位和特定隔室的标签。在这种情况下，细菌毒素以范式转换分子的形式出现在细胞生物学中，这使科学家不仅能够从细菌感染的角度进行研究，而且还可以从哺乳动物宿主的角度进行研究。它们的选择性，效力和多功能性使其成为揭示我们目前对膜运输机制的许多了解的精妙工具。这里，我们将遵循导致毒素直至其细胞内靶标的步骤，强调特定事件如何帮助我们理解膜运输并建立各种细胞器和过程的基础。细菌毒素将继续指导我们回答细胞生物学中的关键问题，同时也将作为新技术和应用的探索者。