Clostridium perfringens mutant strain 121A/91 shows neither enzymatic (phospholipase C) nor hemolytic activity. Nevertheless, the cpa gene and the corresponding alpha-toxin variant are detectable. Vaccination with this genetically constructed alpha-toxin variant, rAT121/91, induces antibodies capable of significantly reducing activities induced by wild-type toxin. Thus, rAT121/91 could be a use...

Concentrations of antibiotics below the MIC are able to modulate the expression of virulence-associated genes. In this study, the influence of subinhibitory doses of 31 antibiotics on the expression of the gene encoding the staphylococcal alpha-toxin (hla), a major virulence factor of Staphylococcus aureus, was investigated with a novel gene fusion protocol. The most striking observation was a ...

Nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) was originally described as a T-cell-specific transcription factor athat supported the activation of cytokine gene expression and mediated the immunoregulatory effects of cyclosporin A (CsA). As we observed that activated endothelial cells also expressed NFAT, we tested the antiinflammatory properties of CsA in endothelial cells. Significantly, CsA com...

The ERCC8/CSA gene encodes a WD-40 repeat protein (CSA) that is part of a E3-ubiquitin ligase/COP9 signalosome complex. When mutated, CSA causes the Cockayne Syndrome group A (CS-A), a rare recessive progeroid disorder characterized by sun sensitivity and neurodevelopmental abnormalities. CS-A cells features include ROS hyperproduction, accumulation of oxidative genome damage, mitochondrial dys...

to study the existence of clostridium septicum as probable agent associated with currently occurrence of black quarter in urmia area, sheep-dung samples were collected. the bacteriological examinations on suspicious gram positive anaerobic spore-bearing bacilli which are in clostridia genus include isolation and biochemical identification were performed. the results showed 28 different types of...

A major class of nicotinic receptors in the nervous system is one that binds alpha-bungarotoxin and contains the alpha7 gene product. PC12 cells, frequently used to study nicotinic receptors, express the alpha7 gene and have binding sites for the toxin, but previous attempts to elicit currents from the putative receptors have failed. Using whole-cell patch-clamp recording techniques and rapid a...

The inhalation of cyclosporin (Cs)A to the lung is limited by its hydrophobic properties. In order to improve the poor solubility of CsA, cyclodextrin (CD) was evaluated for its suitability for dry powder inhaler formation, and the benefit of an inhaled CsA/CD complex in vivo was demonstrated. The solubilising effect of CDs on CsA was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. Ciliosta...

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay to detect Clostridium perfringens alpha toxin gene (cpa) was used to identify eighty-nine C. perfringens strains obtained from bovine clinical material. The strains were biochemically characterized as C. perfringens. The isolated strains were cultured on plates containing brain heart infusion agar with 5% sheep blood under anaerobic conditions. DNA extrac...

Oligonucleotide probes designed on the basis of the N-terminal sequence of Clostridium perfringens beta-toxin were used to isolate the encoding gene (cpb). The nucleotide sequence of cpb was determined, and on the basis of DNA hybridization experiments it was shown that the gene is found only in type B and C strains of C. perfringens. The deduced amino acid sequence of the beta-toxin revealed h...

Clostridium botulinum type C and D strains recently have been found to produce PLC on egg yolk agar plates. To characterize the gene, enzymatic and biological activities of C. botulinum PLCs (Cb-PLCs), the cb-plc genes from 8 strains were sequenced, and 1 representative gene was cloned and expressed as a recombinant protein. The enzymatic and hemolytic activities of the recombinant Cb-PLC were ...