Toxin A from Clostridium difficile binds to rabbit erythrocyte glycolipids with terminal Gal alpha 1-3Gal beta 1-4GlcNAc sequences.
The binding of Toxin A isolated from Clostridium difficile to rabbit erythrocyte glycolipids has been studied. Total lipid extracts from rabbit erythrocytes were subjected to thin-layer chromatography and toxin-binding glycolipids detected by using 125I-labeled Toxin A in a direct binding overlay technique. Two major and several minor toxin-binding glycolipids were detected in rabbit erythrocytes by this method. The results of structural analyses of the major toxin-binding glycolipids were consistent with a pentasaccharide-ceramide (Gal alpha 1-3Gal beta 1-4GlcNAc beta 1-3Gal beta 1-4Glc-Cer) and a branched decasaccharide-ceramide (Gal alpha 1-3Gal beta 1-4GlcNAc beta 1-3[Gal alpha 1-3Gal beta 1-4GlcNAc beta 1-6]Gal beta 1-4GlcNAc beta 1-3Gal beta 1-4Glc-Cer) previously identified as the two most abundant glycolipids in rabbit erythrocytes. 125I-Toxin A binding to these glycolipids could be inhibited by bovine thyroglobulin, monospecific antiserum to the toxin, or by treatment of the glycolipids with alpha-galactosidase. The absence of toxin interaction with isoglobotriaosylceramide (Gal alpha 1-3Gal beta 1-4Glc-Cer) isolated from canine intestine suggested that the GlcNAc residue present in the terminal Gal alpha 1-3Gal beta 1-4GLcNAc sequence common to all known toxin binding glycoconjugates is required for carbohydrate-specific recognition by Toxin A. These observations are consistent with the proposed carbohydrate binding specificity of Toxin A for the nonreducing terminal sequence, Gal alpha 1-3Gal beta 1-4GlcNAc.
D000818:Animals; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000378:metabolism*; D001665:Binding Sites; D002240:Carbohydrate Sequence; D002241:Carbohydrates / Q000032:analysis; D004768:Enterotoxins; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D006017:Glycolipids / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D006384:Hemagglutination; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; D011817:Rabbits; D013045:Species Specificity; D013696:Temperature; D013954:Thyroglobulin / Q000494:pharmacology
D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D002241:Carbohydrates; D004768:Enterotoxins; D006017:Glycolipids; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; C041348:tcdA protein, Clostridium difficile; D013954:Thyroglobulin