Escherichia coli O157 is the major cause of diarrhea-associated hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Strains causing HUS contain either Shiga toxin 1 (Stx1) or Stx2, or both. In adult volunteers, conjugate vaccines of detoxified lipopolysaccharide (LPS) elicited bactericidal antibodies to E. coli O157. Here, the detoxified LPS was conjugated with improved schemes to the nontoxic B subunit of Stx1. ...

Shiga toxin 1 (Stx1) is located in the periplasmic fraction, while Stx2 is found in the extracellular fraction, suggesting that enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) contains a specific Stx2 release system. Both stx(1) and stx(2) are found within the late operons of Stx-encoding phages. Stx2 production is greatly induced by mitomycin C, suggesting that stx(2) can transcribe from the late ph...

The binding of Shiga-like toxin 1 (Stx1) and Shiga-like toxin 2 (Stx2) to a mucin-like fusion protein, P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1/mouse IgG2b (PSGL-1/mIgG2b), carrying multiple copies of the blood group P1 determinant on O-glycans was investigated with western blot and the biosensor Biacore. Chinese hamster ovary K-1 (CHO-K1) cells were stably transfected with linearized plasmids encoding...

Shiga toxins have been shown to induce apoptosis in many cell types. However, Shiga toxin 1 (Stx1) induced only limited apoptosis of macrophage-like THP-1 cells in vitro. The mechanisms regulating macrophage death or survival following toxin challenge are unknown. Differentiated THP-1 cells expressed tumor necrosis factor receptors and membrane-associated tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha)...

Shiga toxin 1 (Stx1) catalyses the removal of a unique and specific adenine from 28S RNA in ribosomes (RNA-N-glycosidase activity) and the release of multiple adenines from DNA (DNA glycosylase activity). Added adenine behaves as an uncompetitive inhibitor of the RNA-N-glycosidase reaction binding more tightly to the Stx1-ribosome complex than to the free enzyme. Several purine derivatives and ...

Infection by Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) results in severe diarrhea, hemorrhagic colitis, and, occasionally, hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS). HUS is associated with an increase in pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, many of which are produced by macrophages in the kidneys, indicating that localized host innate immunity likely plays a role in rena...

BACKGROUND/AIMS Diarrhea-associated hemolytic uremic syndrome is associated with the presence of Shiga toxin (Stx1, Stx2 and several variants) in the circulation. The aim of this study is to examine the possible triggering effect of Stx1 on the exocytosis of Weibel-Palade bodies (WPbs). METHODS Cultured human umbilical venous endothelial cells (HUVECs) and glomerular microvascular endothelial...

background and objectives : shiga toxin-producing escherichia coli (stec) strains are human pathogens linked to hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic uremic syndrome. shiga toxins (stx1 and stx2) are the major virulence factors of these strains. the aim of this work was to study the prevalence and distribution of stx1 and stx2 gene in e. coli o157:h7 and non-o157:h7 strains isolated from cattle in ...

Endothelial damage is characteristic of infection with Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing Escherichia coli (STEC). Because Stx-mediated endothelial cell damage at the site of infection may lead to the characteristic hemorrhagic colitis of STEC infection, we compared the effects of Stx1 and Stx2 on primary and transformed human intestinal microvascular endothelial cells (HIMEC) to those on macrovascula...