Ribbon diagram of the a-toxin of S. aureus. Reference. The b-barrel stalk of this mushroom-shaped protein inserts across succepible membranes and caused lethal permeability changes in the membrane by virtue of the toxins central pore.
This molecule is a homo-heptamer, composed of 7 identical subunits. It is probably a member of a widespread class of similar toxin molecules, including aerolysin, leukocidin, the Anthrax protective antigen and others.
PDB acess code 2AHL