Structural basis for recognition of frizzled proteins by Clostridium difficile toxin B

Toxic hijack of a cell signaling pathway The pathogen Clostridium difficile colonizes the human colon when the normal microbiota is disrupted, often after antibiotic treatment. It is a leading cause of hospital-acquired diarrhea, especially among elderly patients. Chen et al. describe a 2.5-Å-resolution crystal structure that shows how a major virulence factor in C. difficile , toxin B (TcdB), binds to the G protein–coupled receptor Frizzled (FZD). This receptor activates the Wnt signaling pathway, which regulates homeostasis of the colonic epithelium. Surprisingly, TcdB uses a lipid cofactor to recognize FZD. This cofactor replaces a lipid normally associated with the Wnt ligand that binds FZD to activate signaling. Inhibiting the Wnt pathway likely plays a role in C. difficile pathology. Science , this issue p. 664