Described is a rapid direct sandwich format electrochemiluminescence assay for identifying and assaying Clostridium perfringens alpha toxin. Biotinylated antibodies to C. perfringens alpha toxin bound to streptavidin paramagnetic beads specifically immunoadsorbed soluble sample alpha toxin which subsequently selectively immunoadsorbed ruthenium (Ru)-labeled detection antibodies. The ruthenium c...

Heparin-binding epidermal growth factor-like growth factor (HB-EGF) is a member of the EGF family of growth factors, which interact with EGF receptor to exert mitogenic activity. The membrane-anchored form of HB-EGF, proHB-EGF, is biologically active, providing mitogenic stimulation to neighboring cells in a juxtacrine mode. ProHB-EGF forms a complex with diphtheria toxin receptor-associated pr...

Staphylococcal alpha-toxin was radiolabeled to high specific radioactivity (1,500-3,000 Ci/mmol) under retention of its hemolytic activity. Binding studies with susceptible rabbit erythrocytes and highly resistant human erythrocytes revealed that binding of alpha-toxin to target cells can occur via two different mechanisms. Binding of alpha-toxin to rabbit erythrocytes initially involves specif...

Specifically stained staphylococcal alpha toxin particles were detected on unstained and nonspecifically stained ghost membranes when rabbit erythrocytes were exposed to alpha toxin and stained with fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled specific antitoxin. Fading of the nonspecific staining was observed and was attributed to the degradation of the membranes by alpha toxin.

The venom of the Eastern green mamba from Africa, Dendroaspis angusticeps, was found to block the binding of 3H-quinuclidinyl benzilate to pure m1 and m4 muscarinic ACh receptors expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells. The principal toxin in the venom with anti-m1 muscarinic activity was purified by gel filtration and reversed-phase HPLC. This toxin has 64 amino acids, a molecular mass of 736...

Staphylococcal alpha-toxin was purified from Staphylococcus aureus growth medium using adsorption chromatography on controlled pore glass beads. Elution of alpha-toxin from the unmodified glass surface of the beads with various anions generally followed the chaotropic series. Alpha-toxin, purified by glass bead chromatography, is composed of a single electrophoretic form, containing less than 2...

Clostridium perfringens causes necrotic enteritis in chickens, and alpha-toxin has been suggested to be a key virulence determinant. Analysis of the alpha-toxin of 25 chicken-derived C. perfringens strains demonstrated high homology to mammal-derived strains rather than to the only avian-derived C. perfringens alpha-toxin sequence reported previously.

The intestinal effects of Clostridium difficile toxin A are inidated by toxin binding to luminal enterocyte receptors. We reported previously that the rabbit ileal brush border (BB) receptor is a glycoprotein with an alpha-d-galactose containing trisaccharide in the toxin-binding domain (1991. J. Clin. Invest. 88:119-125). In this study we characterized the rabbit ileal BB receptor for this tox...

Bovine necrohemorrhagic enteritis is caused by Clostridium perfringens and leads to sudden death. Alpha toxin, together with perfringolysin O, has been identified as the principal toxin involved in the pathogenesis. We assessed the potential of alpha toxin as a vaccine antigen. Using an intestinal loop model in calves, we investigated the protection afforded by antisera raised against native al...