Phage beta 197tox-, which codes for CRM197, a nontoxic protein immunochemically indistinguishable from diphtheria toxin, was UV induced from a culture of the C7(beta 197)tox- strain. A total of 191 C7(beta 197)tox- lysogens were isolated and selected according to the halo produced on TYE agar containing antidiphtheria toxin serum and were further characterized by Southern blots of their chromos...

The repeating sequences of the toxin A gene from toxin A-negative, toxin B-positive (toxin A-, toxin B+) strains of Clostridium difficile which were isolated in geographically separated facilities in Japan and Indonesia were determined. All six strains tested had identical repeating sequences with two deletions (1548 and 273 nucleotides in size) in the toxin A gene. A PCR method was designed to...

background: members of the eukaryotic hsp90 family function as important molecular chaperones in the assembly, folding and activation of cellular signaling in development. two hsp90 genes, hsp90 alpha and hsp90 beta, have been identified in fish and homeothermic vertebrates but not in poikilothermic vertebrates. in the present study, the expression of hsp90 alpha and hsp90 beta genes in xenopus...

The current model for autodisplay suggests a mechanism that allows a passenger protein to be translocated across the outer membrane by coordinate action of a C-terminal beta-barrel and its preceding linking region. The passenger protein, linker, and beta-barrel are together termed the autotransporter, while the linker and beta-barrel are here referred to as the translocation unit (TU). We chara...

Adult rat chromaffin cells in vitro show a large proliferative response to NGF, followed by neuronal differentiation. Infection of replicating chromaffin cells with a retrovirus carrying the Escherichia coli beta-galactosidase (beta-gal) gene demonstrates beta-gal expression in cells that continue to multiply, that differentiate into neurons, and that become static. The effects of NGF on prolif...

INTRODUCTION ..... .. 320 STAPHYLOCOCCAL SCALDED SKIN SYNDROME 322 Experimental Model 324 Association of the Staphylococcal Scalded Skin Syndrome with Exfoliative Toxin ................. ... .324 EXFOLIATIVE TOXIN 325 Production 325 Isolation and Purification ... 326 Properties .. 326 Genetic Regulation ......................... ..... 331 ALPHA-TOXIN ......................... ...... 337 Overvie...

Botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) is the most poisonous substances known and its eight toxin types (A to H) are distinguished by the inability of polyclonal antibodies that neutralize one toxin type to neutralize any of the other seven toxin types. Infant botulism, an intestinal toxemia orphan disease, is the most common form of human botulism in the United States. It results from swallowed spores of...

Diphtheria toxin receptor has been solubilized from Vero cell membranes with octyl beta-D-glucoside. CRM197, the product of a mutated diphtheria toxin gene, was used for the identification of the receptor. The binding activity of the solubilized receptor was assayed by precipitating the receptor with acetone in the presence of phospholipids and carrier proteins. The solubilized receptor was pur...

BACKGROUND Williopsis saturnus var. mrakii MUCL 41968 secretes a 85-kDa glycoprotein killer toxin (WmKT) that displays a cytocidal activity against a wide range of microorganisms, making WmKT a promising candidate for the development of new antimicrobial molecules. Although the killing mechanism of WmKT is still unknown, the toxin was recently proposed to bind to the surface of sensitive microo...

Staphylococcal leucotoxins result from the association of class S components and class F component inducing the activation and the permeabilization of the target cells. Like alpha-toxin, the leucotoxins are pore-forming toxins with more than 70% beta-sheet. This was confirmed by attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy. In addition, threonine 28 of a predi...