title: Initial characterization of the hemolysin stachylysin from Stachybotrys chartarum.
abstract: Stachybotrys chartarum is a toxigenic fungus that has been associated with human health concerns, including pulmonary hemorrhage and hemosiderosis. This fungus produces a hemolysin, stachylysin, which in its apparent monomeric form has a molecular mass of 11,920 Da as determined by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry. However, it appears to form polydispersed aggregates, which confounds understanding of the actual hemolytically active form. Exhaustive dialysis or heat treatment at 60 degrees C for 30 min inactivated stachylysin. Stachylysin is composed of about 40% nonpolar amino acids and contains two cysteine residues. Purified stachylysin required more than 6 h to begin lysing sheep erythrocytes, but by 48 h, lysis was complete. Stachylysin also formed pores in sheep erythrocyte membranes.
authors.affiliation: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Environmental Research Laboratory, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268, USA. Vesper.Stephen@EPA/gov
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Vesper
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Magnuson
authors.forename: D G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Dearborn
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Yike
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Haugland
mesh_terms: D006460:Hemolysin Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000633:toxicity; D008970:Molecular Weight; D013191:Stachybotrys / Q000472:pathogenicity*
chemical_list: D006460:Hemolysin Proteins