Reply to Desikan et al.: Micelle formation among various mechanisms of toxin pore formation

Pore-forming toxins (PFTs) are a diverse class of membrane-active proteins employed primarily by bacteria for unregulated perforation of lipid membranes (1). Based on molecular dynamics (MD) simulations (2), electron cryo-microscopy (cryoEM) structures (3), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) experiments (4), we recently identified two distinct pathways for lipid efflux from large pores (diameter >30 nm) formed by the β-PFT pneumolysin (PLY)....