scholarly journals Structural and Functional Analysis of the Pore-Forming Toxin NetB from Clostridium perfringens

mBio ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xu-Xia Yan ◽  
Corrine J. Porter ◽  
Simon P. Hardy ◽  
David Steer ◽  
A. Ian Smith ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lipid Bilayers ◽  
Clostridium Perfringens ◽  
Pore Formation ◽  
Random Mutagenesis ◽  
Planar Lipid Bilayers ◽  
Necrotic Enteritis ◽  
Channel Conductance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Alpha Hemolysin ◽  
Insight Into

ABSTRACT Clostridium perfringens is an anaerobic bacterium that causes numerous important human and animal diseases, primarily as a result of its ability to produce many different protein toxins. In chickens, C. perfringens causes necrotic enteritis, a disease of economic importance to the worldwide poultry industry. The secreted pore-forming toxin NetB is a key virulence factor in the pathogenesis of avian necrotic enteritis and is similar to alpha-hemolysin, a β-barrel pore-forming toxin from Staphylococcus aureus. To address the molecular mechanisms underlying NetB-mediated tissue damage, we determined the crystal structure of the monomeric form of NetB to 1.8 Å. Structural comparisons with other members of the alpha-hemolysin family revealed significant differences in the conformation of the membrane binding domain. These data suggested that NetB may recognize different membrane receptors or use a different mechanism for membrane-protein interactions. Consistent with this idea, electrophysiological experiments with planar lipid bilayers revealed that NetB formed pores with much larger single-channel conductance than alpha-hemolysin. Channel conductance varied with phospholipid net charge. Furthermore, NetB differed in its ion selectivity, preferring cations over anions. Using hemolysis as a screen, we carried out a random-mutagenesis study that identified several residues that are critical for NetB-induced cell lysis. Mapping of these residues onto the crystal structure revealed that they were clustered in regions predicted to be required for oligomerization or membrane binding. Together these data provide an insight into the mechanism of NetB-mediated pore formation and will contribute to our understanding of the mode of action of this important toxin. IMPORTANCE Necrotic enteritis is an economically important disease of the worldwide poultry industry and is mediated by Clostridium perfringens strains that produce NetB, a β-pore-forming toxin. We carried out structural and functional studies of NetB to provide a mechanistic insight into its mode of action and to assist in the development of a necrotic enteritis vaccine. We determined the structure of the monomeric form of NetB to 1.8 Å, used both site-directed and random mutagenesis to identify key residues that are required for its biological activity, and analyzed pore formation by NetB and its substitution-containing derivatives in planar lipid bilayers.

scholarly journals The Potential Therapeutic Agent Mepacrine Protects Caco-2 Cells against Clostridium perfringens Enterotoxin Action

mSphere ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
John C. Freedman ◽  
Matthew R. Hendricks ◽  
Bruce A. McClane
Keyword(s):  
Clostridium Perfringens ◽  
Pore Formation ◽  
Therapeutic Potential ◽  
Food Poisoning ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Artificial Membranes ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Gi Symptoms ◽  
Human Enterocyte ◽  
Bacterial Food

ABSTRACT Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin (CPE) causes the gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms of a common bacterial food poisoning and several nonfoodborne human GI diseases. A previous study showed that, via an undetermined mechanism, the presence of mepacrine blocks CPE-induced electrophysiologic activity in artificial membranes. The current study now demonstrates that mepacrine also inhibits CPE-induced cytotoxicity in human enterocyte-like Caco-2 cells and that mepacrine does not directly inactivate CPE. Instead, this drug reduces both CPE pore formation and CPE pore activity in Caco-2 cells. These results suggest mepacrine as a therapeutic candidate for treating CPE-mediated GI diseases. Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin (CPE) causes the diarrhea associated with a common bacterial food poisoning and many antibiotic-associated diarrhea cases. The severity of some CPE-mediated disease cases warrants the development of potential therapeutics. A previous study showed that the presence of mepacrine inhibited CPE-induced electrophysiology effects in artificial lipid bilayers lacking CPE receptors. However, that study did not assess whether mepacrine inactivates CPE or, instead, inhibits a step in CPE action. Furthermore, CPE action in host cells is complex, involving the toxin binding to receptors, receptor-bound CPE oligomerizing into a prepore on the membrane surface, and β-hairpins in the CPE prepore inserting into the membrane to form a pore that induces cell death. Therefore, the current study evaluated the ability of mepacrine to protect cells from CPE. This drug was found to reduce CPE-induced cytotoxicity in Caco-2 cells. This protection did not involve mepacrine inactivation of CPE, indicating that mepacrine affects one or more steps in CPE action. Western blotting then demonstrated that mepacrine decreases CPE pore levels in Caco-2 cells. This mepacrine-induced reduction in CPE pore levels did not involve CPE binding inhibition but rather an increase in CPE monomer dissociation due to mepacrine interactions with Caco-2 membranes. In addition, mepacrine was also shown to inhibit CPE pores when already present in Caco-2 cells. These in vitro studies, which identified two mepacrine-sensitive steps in CPE-induced cytotoxicity, add support to further testing of the therapeutic potential of mepacrine against CPE-mediated disease. IMPORTANCE Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin (CPE) causes the gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms of a common bacterial food poisoning and several nonfoodborne human GI diseases. A previous study showed that, via an undetermined mechanism, the presence of mepacrine blocks CPE-induced electrophysiologic activity in artificial membranes. The current study now demonstrates that mepacrine also inhibits CPE-induced cytotoxicity in human enterocyte-like Caco-2 cells and that mepacrine does not directly inactivate CPE. Instead, this drug reduces both CPE pore formation and CPE pore activity in Caco-2 cells. These results suggest mepacrine as a therapeutic candidate for treating CPE-mediated GI diseases.

scholarly journals Daptomycin Pore Formation and Stoichiometry Depend on Membrane Potential of Target Membrane

2018 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriela Seydlová ◽  
Albert Sokol ◽  
Petra Lišková ◽  
Ivo Konopásek ◽  
Radovan Fišer
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Potential ◽  
Lipid Bilayers ◽  
Pore Formation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Calcium Dependent ◽  
Screening Experiment ◽  
Serious Infections ◽  
Fluorescence Methods ◽  
Initial Membrane ◽  
Target Membrane

ABSTRACT Daptomycin is a calcium-dependent lipodepsipeptide antibiotic clinically used to treat serious infections caused by Gram-positive pathogens. Its precise mode of action is somewhat controversial; the biggest issue is daptomycin pore formation, which we directly investigated here. We first performed a screening experiment using propidium iodide (PI) entry to Bacillus subtilis cells and chose the optimum and therapeutically relevant conditions (10 µg/ml daptomycin and 1.25 mM CaCl2) for the subsequent analyses. Using conductance measurements on planar lipid bilayers, we show that daptomycin forms nonuniform oligomeric pores with conductance ranging from 120 pS to 14 nS. The smallest conductance unit is probably a dimer; however, tetramers and pentamers occur in the membrane most frequently. Moreover, daptomycin pore-forming activity is exponentially dependent on the applied membrane voltage. We further analyzed the membrane-permeabilizing activity in B. subtilis cells using fluorescence methods [PI and DiSC3(5)]. Daptomycin most rapidly permeabilizes cells with high initial membrane potential and dissipates it within a few minutes. Low initial membrane potential hinders daptomycin pore formation.

scholarly journals Draft Genome Sequence of Clostridium perfringens Strain TAMU, Which Causes Necrotic Enteritis in Broiler Chickens

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Ausland ◽  
Adil Sabr Al-Ogaili ◽  
Juan D. Latorre ◽  
Guillermo Tellez-Isaias ◽  
Billy M. Hargis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clostridium Perfringens ◽  
Genome Sequence ◽  
Broiler Chickens ◽  
Draft Genome ◽  
Gastrointestinal Diseases ◽  
Intervention Strategies ◽  
Draft Genome Sequence ◽  
Necrotic Enteritis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Deadly Disease

Clostridium perfringens causes severe gastrointestinal diseases, which include necrotic enteritis (NE) in chickens, a deadly disease worldwide. We report here the draft genome sequence of Clostridium perfringens strain TAMU, which was used in developing an NE chicken challenge model. This C. perfringens TAMU genome sequence will aid in advancing potential intervention strategies to reduce NE pathogenesis.

scholarly journals Necrotic Enteritis-Derived Clostridium perfringens Strain with Three Closely Related Independently Conjugative Toxin and Antibiotic Resistance Plasmids

mBio ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Trudi L. Bannam ◽  
Xu-Xia Yan ◽  
Paul F. Harrison ◽  
Torsten Seemann ◽  
Anthony L. Keyburn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Clostridium Perfringens ◽  
Tetracycline Resistance ◽  
Necrotic Enteritis ◽  
Sequencing Analysis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Conjugative Plasmids ◽  
Resistance Plasmid ◽  
Large Plasmids ◽  
Beta2 Toxin

ABSTRACTThe pathogenesis of avian necrotic enteritis involves NetB, a pore-forming toxin produced by virulent avian isolates ofClostridium perfringenstype A. To determine the location and mobility of thenetBstructural gene, we examined a derivative of the tetracycline-resistant necrotic enteritis strain EHE-NE18, in whichnetBwas insertionally inactivated by the chloramphenicol and thiamphenicol resistance genecatP. Both tetracycline and thiamphenicol resistance could be transferred either together or separately to a recipient strain in plate matings. The separate transconjugants could act as donors in subsequent matings, which demonstrated that the tetracycline resistance determinant and thenetBgene were present on different conjugative elements. Large plasmids were isolated from the transconjugants and analyzed by high-throughput sequencing. Analysis of the resultant data indicated that there were actually three large conjugative plasmids present in the original strain, each with its own toxin or antibiotic resistance locus. Each plasmid contained a highly conserved 40-kb region that included plasmid replication and transfer regions that were closely related to the 47-kb conjugative tetracycline resistance plasmid pCW3 fromC. perfringens. The plasmids were as follows: (i) a conjugative 49-kb tetracycline resistance plasmid that was very similar to pCW3, (ii) a conjugative 82-kb plasmid that contained thenetBgene and other potential virulence genes, and (iii) a 70-kb plasmid that carried thecpb2gene, which encodes a different pore-forming toxin, beta2 toxin.IMPORTANCEThe anaerobic bacteriumClostridium perfringenscan cause an avian gastrointestinal disease known as necrotic enteritis. Disease pathogenesis is not well understood, although the plasmid-encoded pore-forming toxin NetB, is an important virulence factor. In this work, we have shown that the plasmid that carries thenetBgene is conjugative and has a 40-kb region that is very similar to replication and transfer regions found within each of the sequenced conjugative plasmids fromC. perfringens. We also showed that this strain contained two additional large plasmids that were also conjugative and carried a similar 40-kb region. One of these plasmids encoded beta2 toxin, and the other encoded tetracycline resistance. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a bacterial strain that carries three closely related but different independently conjugative plasmids. These results have significant implications for our understanding of the transmission of virulence and antibiotic resistance genes in pathogenic bacteria.

scholarly journals The VirS/VirR Two-Component System Regulates the Anaerobic Cytotoxicity, Intestinal Pathogenicity, and Enterotoxemic Lethality of Clostridium perfringens Type C Isolate CN3685

mBio ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Menglin Ma ◽  
Jorge Vidal ◽  
Juliann Saputo ◽  
Bruce A. McClane ◽  
Francisco Uzal
Keyword(s):  
Clostridium Perfringens ◽  
Regulatory System ◽  
Gas Gangrene ◽  
Necrotic Enteritis ◽  
Vegetative Cells ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Two Component ◽  
Type C ◽  
Beta Toxin

ABSTRACT Clostridium perfringens vegetative cells cause both histotoxic infections (e.g., gas gangrene) and diseases originating in the intestines (e.g., hemorrhagic necrotizing enteritis or lethal enterotoxemia). Despite their medical and veterinary importance, the molecular pathogenicity of C. perfringens vegetative cells causing diseases of intestinal origin remains poorly understood. However, C. perfringens beta toxin (CPB) was recently shown to be important when vegetative cells of C. perfringens type C strain CN3685 induce hemorrhagic necrotizing enteritis and lethal enterotoxemia. Additionally, the VirS/VirR two-component regulatory system was found to control CPB production by CN3685 vegetative cells during aerobic infection of cultured enterocyte-like Caco-2 cells. Using an isogenic virR null mutant, the current study now reports that the VirS/VirR system also regulates CN3685 cytotoxicity during infection of Caco-2 cells under anaerobic conditions, as found in the intestines. More importantly, the virR mutant lost the ability to cause hemorrhagic necrotic enteritis in rabbit small intestinal loops. Western blot analyses demonstrated that the VirS/VirR system mediates necrotizing enteritis, at least in part, by controlling in vivo CPB production. In addition, vegetative cells of the isogenic virR null mutant were, relative to wild-type vegetative cells, strongly attenuated in their lethality in a mouse enterotoxemia model. Collectively, these results identify the first regulator of in vivo pathogenicity for C. perfringens vegetative cells causing disease originating in the complex intestinal environment. Since VirS/VirR also mediates histotoxic infections, this two-component regulatory system now assumes a global role in regulating a spectrum of infections caused by C. perfringens vegetative cells. IMPORTANCE Clostridium perfringens is an important human and veterinary pathogen. C. perfringens vegetative cells cause both histotoxic infections, e.g., traumatic gas gangrene, and infections originating when this bacterium grows in the intestines. The VirS/VirR two-component regulatory system has been shown to control the pathogenicity of C. perfringens type A strains in a mouse gas gangrene model, but there is no understanding of pathogenicity regulation when C. perfringens vegetative cells cause disease originating in the complex intestinal environment. The current study establishes that VirS/VirR controls vegetative cell pathogenicity when C. perfringens type C isolates cause hemorrhagic necrotic enteritis and lethal enterotoxemia (i.e., toxin absorption from the intestines into the circulation, allowing targeting of internal organs). This effect involves VirS/VirR-mediated regulation of beta toxin production in vivo. Therefore, VirS/VirR is the first identified global in vivo regulator controlling the ability of C. perfringens vegetative cells to cause gas gangrene and, at least some, intestinal infections.

Genetic and functional analysis of the cytK family of genes in Bacillus cereus

Microbiology ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 150 (8) ◽  
pp. 2689-2697 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annette Fagerlund ◽  
Ola Ween ◽  
Terje Lund ◽  
Simon P. Hardy ◽  
Per E. Granum
Keyword(s):  
Bacillus Cereus ◽  
Lipid Bilayers ◽  
Dna Sequences ◽  
Vero Cells ◽  
Amino Acid Sequences ◽  
Planar Lipid Bilayers ◽  
Necrotic Enteritis ◽  
Related Gene ◽  
Pcr Products ◽  
Very High

CytK is a pore-forming toxin of Bacillus cereus that has been linked to a case of necrotic enteritis. PCR products of the expected size were generated with cytK primers in 13 of 29 strains. Six strains were PCR-positive for the related gene hly-II, which encodes haemolysin II, a protein that is 37 % identical to the original CytK. Five of the strains were positive for both genes. The DNA sequences of putative cytK genes from three positive strains were determined, and the deduced amino acid sequences were 89 % identical to that of the original CytK. The authors have designated this new cytK variant cytK-2, and refer to the original cytK as cytK-1. The CytK-2 proteins from these three strains were isolated, and their identity was verified by N-terminal sequencing. blast analysis using the cytK-2 gene sequences revealed very high homology with two cytK-2 sequences in the genomes of B. cereus strains ATCC 14579 and ATCC 10987. The differences between CytK-1 and the CytK-2 proteins were clustered to certain regions of the proteins. The isolated CytK-2 proteins were haemolytic and toxic towards human intestinal Caco-2 cells and Vero cells, although their toxicity was about 20 % of that of CytK-1. Both native and recombinant CytK-2 proteins from B. cereus 1230-88 were able to form pores in planar lipid bilayers, but the majority of the channels observed were of lower conductance than those created by CytK-1. It is likely that CytK-2 toxins contribute to the enterotoxicity of several strains of B. cereus, although not all of the CytK-2 toxins may be as harmful as the CytK-1 originally isolated.

scholarly journals The Agr-Like Quorum Sensing System Is Required for Pathogenesis of Necrotic Enteritis Caused by Clostridium perfringens in Poultry

2017 ◽  
Vol 85 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiang Yu ◽  
Dion Lepp ◽  
Iman Mehdizadeh Gohari ◽  
Tao Wu ◽  
Hongzhuan Zhou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quorum Sensing ◽  
Clostridium Perfringens ◽  
Global Gene Expression ◽  
Toxin Production ◽  
Phospholipid Metabolism ◽  
Necrotic Enteritis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Protein Levels ◽  
Global Gene Expression Analysis

ABSTRACT Clostridium perfringens encodes at least two different quorum sensing (QS) systems, the Agr-like and LuxS, and recent studies have highlighted their importance in the regulation of toxin production and virulence. The role of QS in the pathogenesis of necrotic enteritis (NE) in poultry and the regulation of NetB, the key toxin involved, has not yet been investigated. We have generated isogenic agrB-null and complemented strains from parent strain CP1 and demonstrated that the virulence of the agrB-null mutant was strongly attenuated in a chicken NE model system and restored by complementation. The production of NetB, a key NE-associated toxin, was dramatically reduced in the agrB mutant at both the transcriptional and protein levels, though not in a luxS mutant. Transwell assays confirmed that the Agr-like QS system controls NetB production through a diffusible signal. Global gene expression analysis of the agrB mutant identified additional genes modulated by Agr-like QS, including operons related to phospholipid metabolism and adherence, which may also play a role in NE pathogenesis. This study provides the first evidence that the Agr-like QS system is critical for NE pathogenesis and identifies a number of Agr-regulated genes, most notably netB, that are potentially involved in mediating its effects. The Agr-like QS system thus may serve as a target for developing novel interventions to prevent NE in chickens.

scholarly journals Functional Analysis of a Bacitracin Resistance Determinant Located on ICECp1, a Novel Tn916-Like Element from a Conjugative Plasmid in Clostridium perfringens

2015 ◽  
Vol 59 (11) ◽  
pp. 6855-6865 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoyan Han ◽  
Xiang-Dang Du ◽  
Luke Southey ◽  
Dieter M. Bulach ◽  
Torsten Seemann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clostridium Perfringens ◽  
Wild Type Strain ◽  
Regulatory Gene ◽  
Conjugative Plasmid ◽  
Resistance Determinant ◽  
Toxin Gene ◽  
Resistance Locus ◽  
Necrotic Enteritis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Integrative Conjugative Elements

ABSTRACTBacitracins are mixtures of structurally related cyclic polypeptides with antibiotic properties. They act by interfering with the biosynthesis of the bacterial cell wall. In this study, we analyzed an avian necrotic enteritis strain ofClostridium perfringensthat was resistant to bacitracin and produced NetB toxin. We identified a bacitracin resistance locus that resembled a bacitracin resistance determinant fromEnterococcus faecalis. It contained the structural genesbcrABDand a putative regulatory gene,bcrR. Mutagenesis studies provided evidence that bothbcrAandbcrBare essential for bacitracin resistance, and that evidence was supported by the results of experiments in which the introduction of both thebcrAandbcrBgenes into a bacitracin-susceptibleC. perfringensstrain was required to confer bacitracin resistance. The wild-type strain was shown to contain at least three large, putatively conjugative plasmids, and thebcrRABDlocus was localized to an 89.7-kb plasmid, pJIR4150. This plasmid was experimentally shown to be conjugative and was sequenced. The sequence revealed that it also carries atpeLtoxin gene and is related to the pCW3 family of conjugative antibiotic resistance and toxin plasmids fromC. perfringens. Thebcrgenes were located on a genetic element, ICECp1, which is related to the Tn916family of integrative conjugative elements (ICEs). ICECp1appears to be the first Tn916-like element shown to confer bacitracin resistance. In summary, we identified in a toxin-producingC. perfringensstrain a novel mobile bacitracin resistance element which was experimentally shown to be essential for bacitracin resistance and is carried by a putative ICE located on a conjugative plasmid.

Cation channels from Tetrahymena cilia incorporated into planar lipid bilayers

1985 ◽  
Vol 249 (1) ◽  
pp. C177-C179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Oosawa ◽  
M. Sokabe
Keyword(s):  
Lipid Bilayers ◽  
Single Channel ◽  
Cation Channel ◽  
Cation Channels ◽  
Planar Lipid Bilayers ◽  
Channel Conductance ◽  
Single Channel Conductance ◽  
Ciliary Membrane ◽  
Voltage Dependent

A single cation channel from Tetrahymena cilia was incorporated into planar lipid bilayers. This channel selected for K+, Na+, and Li+ over Cl- and gluconate-, and its single channel conductance (at +25 mV) was 211 +/- 8 pS (mean +/- SE) in 100 mM K+-gluconate. The channel was not voltage dependent and may contribute to the resting K+ conductance of ciliary membrane.

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