title: Immunological characterization of the neurotoxin produced by Clostridium botulinum type A associated with infant botulism in Japan.
abstract: The neurotoxin associated with type A infant botulism in Japan shows different antigenic properties from those produced by authentic strains. The monoclonal antibodies recognizing the light chain reacted to both neurotoxins, whereas half the antibodies recognizing the heavy chain reacted specifically to the respective neurotoxin. Each neurotoxin showed its own manner of binding to brain synaptosomes. These results indicate that the distinguishable characteristics are ascribable to the heavy chain but not to the light chain. In both neurotoxins, an epitope recognized by the monoclonal antibody that reacts to the light chain and neutralizes the toxin was found to be very close to the amino-terminal half (H-1 fragment) of the heavy chain. This may support the hypothesis that the H-1 fragment functions in the transport of the light chain in the target cell.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Science, College of Agriculture, University of Osaka Prefecture, Japan.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kozaki
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nakaue
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kamata
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000737:chemistry; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology; D001905:Botulinum Toxins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D001906:Botulism / Q000382:microbiology*; D003014:Clostridium botulinum / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000145:classification / Q000378:metabolism; D010450:Endopeptidases; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D006868:Hydrolysis; D007223:Infant; D007564:Japan; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009498:Neurotoxins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D011485:Protein Binding; D013574:Synaptosomes / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D000939:Epitopes; D009498:Neurotoxins; D010450:Endopeptidases; D001905:Botulinum Toxins