Escherichia coli enterotoxin. Purification and partial characterization.

Enterotoxin, a diarrheagenic protein elaborated by pathogenic Escherichia coli strains has been isolated from the supernatant of fermenter cultures of E. coli strain P263, a porcine enteropathogen. Purification steps involving Bio-Gel agarose A-5m, Sephadex G-75 chromatography, and preparative isotachophoresis were used in the isolation. The resulting product appears to be pure according to immunoelectrophoretic, disc electrophoretic, ultracentrifugal, and immunologic criteria. The entertoxin has an apparent molecular weight of 102,000 as judged by gel filtration and sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and its isoelectric point is 6.90. The isolated product is highly active in inducing experimental diarrhea in adult rabbits and piglets. It also elicits, in small dosage, a marked increase in adenylate cyclase activity in broken cell preparations of cat heart tissue. The enterotoxin activity is acid-labile and is destroyed by heating at 65 degrees for 30 min. It is suggested that the heat-stable enterotoxin material is derived from heat-labile enterotoxin by forming a complex with endotoxin or capsular material present in the culture supernatant.     

Purification of Salmonella stanley enterotoxin and its immunology and dermatotoxicity.

Isolation of an enterotoxic factor from cell-free-culture-supernatant of S. stanley was achieved to homogeneity using salt precipitation, dialysis and molecular seive chromatography through Sephadex G-100 and G-200 columns. The purified enterotoxic factor yielded a single protein band on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, induced antibodies in the rabbit and showed single band on agar gel precipitation. It induced fluid accumulation in the rabbit ligated ileal loop (RLIL) and was neutralized by the homologous antiserum. Antigenically it was not related to cholera toxin but with enterotoxin of other Salmonella serotypes. It also exerted dermatotoxic effect in the rabbit skin causing marked central necrosis with peripheral erythema.     

Isolation of Salmonella typhimurium enterotoxin in partially purified form and study of its properties

S. typhimurium enterotoxin, partially purified in accordance with our scheme (salting out with 75% ammonium sulfate, dialysis and gel filtration in a column with Sephadex G-150, followed by electrofocusing), showed enterotoxic activity in the intestinal loop of a rabbit and yielded the positive result in the cutaneous test. S. typhimurium enterotoxin proved to be protein with a molecular weight of 140000 daltons and the isoelectric point equal to 4.4. The biological activity of S. typhimurium enterotoxin was neutralized with homologous antiserum and with antiserum to cholera enterotoxin. Heating the preparation at 75 degrees C for 30 minutes led to a considerable decrease in its enterotoxic activity.     

Purification and some physicochemical properties of staphylococcal enterotoxin D.

A method was developed for the isolation of staphylococcal enterotoxin D in highly purified form from cultures of Staphylococcus aureus strain 1151m. The method involves removal of the toxin from the culture supernatant fluid with the ion-exchange resin CG-50 followed by chromatography on carboxymethylcellulose (twice) and by gel filtration on Sephadex G-75 (twice). The purified toxin is homogeneous by polyacrylamide gel and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and double gel diffusion tests. It is a simple, colorless, antigenic protein with an isoelectric point of 7.4 as determined by isoelectric focusing. Its molecular weight was determined to be 27 300 +/- 700 by molecular sieve chromatography on Sephadex G-100 and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Its serological activity is stable over a wide range of pH values (1.2--10.7). The enterotoxin consists of 236 amino acid residues and contains no free sulfhydryl groups. End-group analysis showed serine to be the NH2-terminal amino acid and lysine to be the COOH-terminal amino acid.     

Scaled-up production and purification of Clostridium perfringens type A enterotoxin

Methods for small-scale production of Clostridium perfringens type A enterotoxin were unsuitable for large-scale culture of this organism. Rapid, efficient harvesting of 40 1 batch culture of Cl. perfringens was achieved by tangential flow micro-filtration with the Millipore Pellicon cassette system. Enterotoxin-containing extracts were prepared by passing concentrated suspensions of the harvested cells through a French pressure cell. The overall yield of purified enterotoxin was 38.8%. The toxin gave a single band on native polyacrylamide gels but formed high molecular weight aggregates in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulphate. These aggregates frequently occurred during storage of non-sterile enterotoxin preparations but could be separated from the monomer toxin by gel filtration on Sephadex G-100. Purified monomer enterotoxin had biological activities of 119.3 micrograms/kg mouse lethal dose when injected intraperitoneally and 3333 capillary permeability increasing units/mg protein in guinea pig skin. Thirty micrograms of the enterotoxin caused fluid accumulation in ligated rabbit ileal loops. Aggregated enterotoxin had no demonstrable biological or immunological activity.     

Scaled-up production and purification of Clostridium perfringens type A enterotoxin

Methods for small-scale production of Clostridium perfringens type A enterotoxin were unsuitable for large-scale culture of this organism. Rapid, efficient harvesting of 40 1 batch culture of Cl. perfringens was achieved by tangential flow micro-filtration with the Millipore Pellicon cassette system. Enterotoxin-containing extracts were prepared by passing concentrated suspensions of the harvested cells through a French pressure cell. The overall yield of purified enterotoxin was 38·8%. The toxin gave a single band on native polyacrylamide gels but formed high molecular weight aggregates in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulphate. These aggregates frequently occurred during storage of non-sterile enterotoxin preparations but could be separated from the monomer toxin by gel filtration on Sephadex G-100. Purified monomer enterotoxin had biological activities of 119·3 μ g/kg mouse lethal dose when injected intraperitoneally and 3333 capillary permeability increasing units/mg protein in guinea pig skin. Thirty μg of the enterotoxin caused fluid accumulation in ligated rabbit ileal loops. Aggregated enterotoxin had no demonstrable biological or immunological activity.     

Production and partial purification of a fluid-accumulating factor of non-O1 Vibrio cholerae

A fluid-accumulating factor (FAF in the ligated rabbit ileal loop test) from a strain of non-O1 Vibrio cholerae not producing cholera toxin-like enterotoxin (CTLT) was partially purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation, gel filtration with Sephadex G-100, and DEAE cellulose column chromatography. The preparation thus obtained showed collagenolytic, cytolytic, necrotic, and hemorrhagic activities, but was not lethal to mice nor hemolytic to sheep erythrocytes. Desquamation of epithelial cells, inflammatory edema, and hemorrhage were observed in sections of rabbit intestine after inoculation of partially purified FAF (PPFAF). Biological and enzymatic activities of FAF were completely neutralized with anti-PPFAF rabbit serum. More than 70% of non-O1 V. cholerae strains from human diarrheal feces produced FAF in the shake culture of heart infusion broth (Difco). A fluid-accumulating factor immunologically similar to FAF of non-O1 V. cholerae was also produced by V. mimicus strains isolated from human diarrheal feces. These results indicate that the FAF produced by CTLT-negative non-O1 V. cholerae strains is an entity closely related to a cytolytic and hemorrhagic substance or the like, and that this FAF may play a role in the enteropathogenicity of CTLT-negative strains.     

Production of diarrheal enterotoxins and other potential virulence factors by veterinary isolates of bacillus species associated with nongastrointestinal infections

With the exceptions of Bacillus cereus and Bacillus anthracis, Bacillus species are generally perceived to be inconsequential. However, the relevance of other Bacillus species as food poisoning organisms and etiological agents in nongastrointestinal infections is being increasingly recognized. Eleven Bacillus species isolated from veterinary samples associated with severe nongastrointestinal infections were assessed for the presence and expression of diarrheagenic enterotoxins and other potential virulence factors. PCR studies revealed the presence of DNA sequences encoding hemolysin BL (HBL) enterotoxin complex and B. cereus enterotoxin T (BceT) in five B. cereus strains and in Bacillus coagulans NB11. Enterotoxin HBL was also harbored by Bacillus polymyxa NB6. After 18 h of growth in brain heart infusion broth, all seven Bacillus isolates carrying genes encoding enterotoxin HBL produced this toxin. Cell-free supernatant fluids from all 11 Bacillus isolates demonstrated cytotoxicity toward human HEp-2 cells; only one Bacillus licheniformis strain adhered to this test cell line, and none of the Bacillus isolates were invasive. This study constitutes the first demonstration that Bacillus spp. associated with serious nongastrointestinal infections in animals may harbor and express diarrheagenic enterotoxins traditionally linked to toxigenic B. cereus.     

An altered heart-labile enterotoxin (LT') produced by Escherichia coli serogroup O55 strain.

An Escherichia coli serogroup O55 strain produced heat-labile enterotoxin only, which exerted unusual effects on cell cultures; it caused elongation of CHO and HeLa cells but no changes in Y-1 cells. Injection of this substance, designated LT', into mouse foot pad and rabbit skin caused a well-expressed necrotic effect beside the LT-like activity. LT' showed no cytotoxic effect and failed to produce mouse lung oedema. The strain was not haemolytic. According to Sephadex G-100 fractionation, the LT' had a high molecular weight. The LT' and the necrotic activities could not be separated by fractionation. Neutralization experiments suggested an antigenic relationship between LT and LT'. The antigenic deficiency of LT' was closely related to the common antigenic component of LT and choleragen. The necrotic effect caused by crude LT' was neutralized only by the homologous serum.     

Characterisation of a non-haemolytic enterotoxin complex from Bacillus cereus isolated after a foodborne outbreak

Abstract Three enterotoxic components have been isolated from a strain of Bacillus cereus which was involved in a large food poisoning outbreak in Norway in 1995. The components were purified by chromatography on three different columns. Three proteins of 39, 45 and 105 kDa, respectively, were found to be necessary for maximum cytotoxicity. The amino acid N-terminal sequences of the 39 and 45 kDa proteins were determined. The 45 kDa component was the same protein as the main antigen detected in the Bacillus Diarrhoeal Enterotoxin Visual Immunoassay (Tecra). The 39 kDa protein showed some similarity to the l₁ protein of haemolysin BL from B. cereus . Furthermore, the three toxic components were all recognised by a polyclonal antiserum reported to detect enterotoxin from B. cereus . The proteins were different from the B- and L₂-components of haemolysin BL, previously suggested to be a primary virulence factor, and had no detectable haemolytic activity.     

Purification, stability and kinetic properties of highly purified adenosine deaminase from Bacillus cereus NCIB 8122

Adenosine deaminase (adenosine aminohydrolase, EC 3.5.4.4) from Bacillus cereus NCIB 8122 has been purified to electrophoretic homogeneity by ammonium sulfate precipitation, gel filtration through Sephadex G-100, DEAE-Sephadex A-50 chromatography and ion-exchange HPLC on DEAE-Polyol. The enzyme activity is stabilized (at temperatures from 0 degrees C to 40 degrees C) by 50 mM NH4+ or K+, while it is irreversibly lost in the absence of these or a few other monovalent cations. Glycerol (24% by volume) helps the cation in stabilizing the enzyme activity above 40 degrees C, but also exerts per se a noticeable protecting effect at room temperature. B. cereus adenosine deaminase displays the following properties: Mr on Sephadex G-200, 68,000; Mr in SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, 53,700; optimal pH-stability (in the presence of 50 mM KCl) over the range 8-11 at 4 degrees C, and maximal catalytic activity at 30 degrees C between pH 7 and 10; Km for adenosine around 50 microM over the same pH range and Km for 2'-deoxyadenosine around 400 microM.     

Characteristics of the heat-stable enterotoxin of NAG vibrios

Cell-free culture filtrate boiled for 15 minutes has been found to retain its biological activity in various experimental models used for the determination of the toxicogenicity of cholera vibrio filtrates. During gel filtration of the concentrated filrate o. NAG vibrio, strain NO. 9852, through Sephadex G-75 toxic activity could be detected in the free volume of the column, which was indicative of the fact that the molecular weight of the thermostable enterotoxin was about 70,000 daltons and greater. The methods of gel diffusion and aggregated hemagglutination have been used to show that the thermostable enterotoxin of NAG vibrio No. 9852 is immunologically unrelated to cholerogen. Some data obtained in experimental models suggest that the thermostable enterotoxin probably differs from cholera enterotoxin in the mechanism of its action.     

Effects of nisin and temperature on survival, growth, and enterotoxin production characteristics of psychrotrophic Bacillus cereus in beef gravy.

The presence of psychrotrophic enterotoxigenic Bacillus cereus in ready-to-serve meats and meat products that have not been subjected to sterilization treatment is a public health concern. A study was undertaken to determine the survival, growth, and diarrheal enterotoxin production characteristics of four strains of psychrotrophic B. cereus in brain heart infusion (BHI) broth and beef gravy as affected by temperature and supplementation with nisin. A portion of unheated vegetative cells from 24-h BHI broth cultures was sensitive to nisin as evidenced by an inability to form colonies on BHI agar containing 10 micrograms of nisin/ml. Heat-stressed cells exhibited increased sensitivity to nisin. At concentrations as low as 1 microgram/ml, nisin was lethal to B. cereus, the effect being more pronounced in BHI broth than in beef gravy. The inhibitory effect of nisin (1 microgram/ml) was greater on vegetative cells than on spores inoculated into beef gravy and was more pronounced at 8 degrees C than at 15 degrees C. Nisin, at a concentration of 5 or 50 micrograms/ml, inhibited growth in gravy inoculated with vegetative cells and stored at 8 or 15 degrees C, respectively, for 14 days. Growth of vegetative cells and spores of B. cereus after an initial period of inhibition is attributed to loss of activity of nisin. One of two test strains produced diarrheal enterotoxin in gravy stored at 8 or 15 degrees C within 9 or 3 days, respectively. Enterotoxin production was inhibited in gravy supplemented with 1 microgram of nisin/ml and stored at 8 degrees C for 14 days; 5 micrograms of nisin/ml was required for inhibition at 15 degrees C. Enterotoxin was not detected in gravy in which less than 5.85 log10 CFU of B. cereus/ml had grown. Results indicate that as little as 1 microgram of nisin/ml may be effective in inhibiting or retarding growth of and diarrheal enterotoxin production by vegetative cells and spores of psychrotrophic B. cereus in beef gravy at 8 degrees C, a temperature exceeding that recommended for storage or for most unpasteurized, ready-to-serve meat products.     

Properties of delta5-3beta-hydroxysteroid oxidoreductase isolated from Streptomyces griseocarneus.

Delta5-3beta-hydroxysteroid oxidoreductase was extracted in magnesium-containing Tris buffer from sonicated Streptomyces griseocarneus cells. The enzyme was partially purified (150 X) by ion exchange chromatography and gel filtration following (NH4)2SO4 fractionation. Upon gel filtration on Sephadex G-75 to G-200, the greatest part of the activity gave a peak in the fractionation range. The enzyme obtained from the gel yielded small enzyme molecules on repeated chromatography. A molecular weight of 32 to 36 000 was calculated for the activity appearing in the fractionation range of Sephadex G-75 to G-200. The enzyme is highly specific for the irreversible oxidation of the 3beta-hydroxyl group in steroids with a trans-anellated A : B ring system with either C5 or C6 double bond. Delta5-3-ketosteroids are converted into delta5-3-ketosteroids at a high rate, but the isomerase activity cannot be separated from the oxidoreductase activity either by chromatography or by selective heat inactivation. NAD, NADP, FMN or FAD did not influence the activity, but the enzyme is inactive in the absence of molecular oxygen.     

Comparison of the Tecra VIA kit, Oxoid BCET-RPLA kit and CHO cell culture assay for the detection of Bacillus cereus diarrhoeal enterotoxin

Two commercial serological kits (Oxoid BCET-RPLA and Tecra VIA) and a Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell cytotonicity assay for the detection of Bacillus cereus diarrhoeal enterotoxin were compared. Eleven B. cereus strains and one enterotoxigenic B. thuringiensis strain were evaluated. Both kits and the CHO cell assay yielded positive toxin responses for cell-free culture filtrates from eight out of 11 diarrhoeal enterotoxigenic strains. An emetic enterotoxin producing strain was negative with all three assays. Two B. cereus strains were negative using the BCET-RPLA kit, but positive with the Tecra VIA kit and CHO cell assay. The BCET-RPLA indicated significant levels of enterotoxin after samples were boiled, whereas the CHO cell and Tecra assays were negative. Overall, the cell culture assay was the most sensitive. However, the Tecra VIA kit provided similar results and was better suited for the rapid detection of B. cereus diarrhoeal enterotoxin.     

Studies on Streptococcus faecalis enterotoxin

Streptococcus faecalis has been reported to cause food poisoning. Six strains of S. faecalis were tested for Sherman's criteria. These strains were non-hemolytic, DNase+ and Ent+. The enterotoxin was purified on Sephadex G-200 column and maximum activity was observed at 37 C and pH 7.0. Enterotoxin treated with trypsin and papain elicited very poor response to fluid accumulation. The sensitivity of all the strains against different antibiotics was determined. Strain 53 M was treated with acridine orange and ethidium bromide and a total of 44 Amps Strr and 3 Amps Strs mutants were tested for toxin production. Out of these only 4 were toxin negative, amongst which 3 were also DNase negative and 1 showed partial DNase activity.     

Identification and analysis of the antigens detected by two commercial Bacillus cereus diarrheal enterotoxin immunoassay kits.

The usefulness of two commercial immunoassays for the detection of diarrheal enterotoxin of Bacillus cereus is unclear because the identity of the enterotoxin(s) has not been proven and the kits detect different proteins. We found that the Bacillus cereus Enterotoxin-Reversed Passive Latex Agglutination kit (Oxoid) detects the L2 component from hemolysin BL, and the Bacillus Diarrhoeal Enterotoxin Visual Immunoassay (Tecra) detects two apparently nontoxic proteins.     

Comparison of the substrate specificities of protein phosphatases involved in the regulation of glycogen metabolism in rabbit skeletal muscle.

Muscle extracts were subjected to fractionation with ethanol, chromatography on DEAE-cellulose, precipitation with (NH4)2SO4 and gel filtration on Sephadex G-200. These fractions were assayed for protein phosphatase activities by using the following seven phosphoprotein substrates: phosphorylase a, glycogen synthase b1, glycogen synthase b2, phosphorylase kinase (phosphorylated in either the alpha-subunit or the beta-subunit), histone H1 and histone H2B. Three protein phosphatases with distinctive specificities were resolved by the final gel-filtration step and were termed I, II and III. Protein phosphatase-I, apparent mol.wt. 300000, was an active histone phosphatase, but it accounted for only 10-15% of the glycogen synthase phosphatase-1 and glycogen synthase phosphatase-2 activities and 2-3% of the phosphorylase kinase phosphatase and phosphorylase phosphatase activity recovered from the Sephadex G-200 column. Protein phosphatase-II, apparent mol.wt. 170000, possessed histone phosphatase activity similar to that of protein phosphatase-I. It possessed more than 95% of the activity towards the alpha-subunit of phosphorylase kinase that was recovered from Sephadex G-200. It accounted for 10-15% of the glycogen synthase phosphatase-1 and glycogen synthase phosphatase-2 activity, but less than 5% of the activity against the beta-subunit of phosphorylase kinase and 1-2% of the phosphorylase phosphatase activity recovered from Sephadex G-200. Protein phosphatase-III was the most active histone phosphatase. It possessed 95% of the phosphorylase phosphatase and beta-phosphorylase kinase phosphatase activities, and 75% of the glycogen synthase phosphatase-1 and glycogen synthase phosphatase-2 activities recovered from Sephadex G-200. It accounted for less than 5% of the alpha-phosphorylase kinase phosphatase activity. Protein phosphatase-III was sometimes eluted from Sephadex-G-200 as a species of apparent mol.wt. 75000(termed IIIA), sometimes as a species of mol.wt. 46000(termed IIIB) and sometimes as a mixture of both components. The substrate specificities of protein phosphatases-IIA and -IIB were identical. These findings, taken with the observation that phosphorylase phosphatase, beta-phosphorylase kinase phosphatase, glycogen synthase phosphatase-1 and glycogen synthase phosphatase-2 activities co-purified up to the Sephadex G-200 step, suggest that a single protein phosphatase (protein phosphatase-III) catalyses each of the dephosphorylation reactions that inhibit glycogenolysis or stimulate glycogen synthesis. This contention is further supported by results presented in the following paper [Cohen, P., Nimmo, G.A. & Antoniw, J.F. (1977) Biochem. J. 1628 435-444] which describes a heat-stable protein that is a specific inhibitor of protein phosphatase-III.     

Identification of a protease inhibitor from rat peritoneal macrophages as poly(ADP-ribose)

Rat peritoneal macrophages contain a chymotrypsin-like protease and its specific inhibitor, both being associated with chromatin of the cells. The inhibitor was separated from the protease by gel filtration through a Sephadex G-75 column, further treated with trypsin, DNase and RNase, and then purified successively on Sephadex G-75, Sephadex G-25, and dihydroxyboryl Bio-Gel P-60 columns. The purified inhibitor had a molecular weight in the range from 2,000 to 3,500 and an absorption maximum at 260 nm at pH 7.0. When the inhibitor was digested by snake venom phosphodiesterase, the inhibitory potency was lost, yielding 5'-AMP and 2'-(5'-phosphoribosyl)-5'-AMP as the digestion products which were identified by high pressure liquid chromatography. The inhibitory potency was neutralized specifically by anti-poly(ADP-ribose) antiserum. The profile of inhibition by the isolated inhibitor was nearly identical with that produced by authentic poly(ADP-ribose). It was therefore concluded that the inhibitor isolated was identical with poly(ADP-ribose), whose chain length ranged from 4 to 7 ADP-ribosyl units. This is the first demonstration that a intracellular protease inhibitor can be endogenous poly(ADP-ribose).