Diphtheria Toxin Kills Cells by Interfering with Which of the Following

Question

Diphtheria toxin kills cells by interfering with which of the following processes?
A) complement function
B) nucleic acid synthesis
C) cytoplasmic membrane function
D) protein synthesis
E) adenylate cyclase activity

Accepted Answer

Diphtheria toxin inhibits protein synthesis by ADP-ribosylating and inactivating elongation factor-2 (EF-2). This leads to inhibition of protein synthesis and ultimately cell death.