Cytotoxic effect of multinucleation in HeLa cell cultures associated with the presence of Vir plasmid in Escherichia coli strains.
Escherichia coli strain S5 possesses a virulent plasmid termed Vir, which codes for a lethal toxin and a surface antigen. This strain and two trans-conjugant strains, which have received the Vir plasmid from S5, produced a specific and thermolabile cytopathic effect of multinucleation in an HeLa cell cultures assay, whereas isogenic Vir- strains did not. Moreover sonicates of two epidemiologically unrelated Vir+ strains, exerted the same type of cytotoxicity. This effect, together with lethality for chicken, was specifically neutralized by a rabbit antiserum prepared against Vir+ sonicates. The Vir cytopathic effect appeared morphologically distinct from the one caused by the cytotoxic necrotizing factor of E. coli, which was partially related immunologically. We therefore propose to call this type of toxin 'Vir cytotoxin'.
Oswald
E
E
Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Station de Pathologie de la Reproduction, Nouzilly, France.
De Rycke
J
J
Guillot
J F
JF
Boivin
R
R
D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000235:genetics; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D003603:Cytotoxins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D009500:Neutralization Tests; D010957:Plasmids
D000954:Antigens, Surface; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D003603:Cytotoxins; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; C086995:cytotoxic necrotizing factor type 2