title: Cytotoxic effects of anthrax lethal toxin on macrophage-like cell line J774A.1.
abstract: The cytotoxic effects of anthrax lethal toxin purified from an avirulent strain were examined on mouse macrophage-like J774A.1 cells. Cell death induced by high concentration of purified lethal toxin had the characteristics of necrosis. At lower concentrations, the toxin caused no morphological change and most of the cells were viable. Interestingly, apoptotic cells were observed when the cells were preincubated with a serine/threonine phosphatase inhibitor, calyculin A, and then exposed to a toxin concentration of 0.1 microg/ml. This is the first report that lethal toxin of the anthrax bacillus can induce both necrosis and apoptosis and that protein phosphatases are implicated in the regulation of bacterial toxin-induced apoptosis.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Preventive Medicine, National Defense Medical Center, P. O. Box 90048-700, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: C G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Y T
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Kao
authors.forename: W T
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: H H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: K C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: H C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Lin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D001408:Bacillus anthracis / Q000737:chemistry*; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008264:Macrophages / Q000187:drug effects*; D008387:Marine Toxins; D051379:Mice; D009336:Necrosis; D010080:Oxazoles / Q000494:pharmacology; D010749:Phosphoprotein Phosphatases / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D008387:Marine Toxins; D010080:Oxazoles; C059041:calyculin A; D010749:Phosphoprotein Phosphatases