title: Biochemistry of Vibrio cholerae virulence: purification of cholera enterotoxin by preparative disc electrophoresis.
abstract: Procedures for cholera enterotoxin purification previously developed in this labarotory were not applicable to large-scale purification, and these methods resulted in low yields of pure toxin. An efficient scheme has been developed whereby pure cholera enterotoxin can be obtained from 6 to 8 liters of culture supernatant fluid. This method consists of concentration by membrane ultrafiltration followed by gel filtration and cation-exchange chromatography. Pure cholera enterotoxin of high biological potency was obtained after a final step of preparative acrylamide gel electrophoresis. The degree of purity of the toxin-antigen as well as its biological activity were determined at various setps of purification. This alternate technique for purification is offered because of the widespread interest in cholera enterotoxin as a specific stimulator of adenyl cyclase.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002850:Chromatography, Gel; D002852:Chromatography, Ion Exchange; D004589:Electrophoresis, Disc; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005285:Fermentation; D008722:Methods; D011817:Rabbits / Q000276:immunology; D014734:Vibrio cholerae / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D004768:Enterotoxins