title: Clostridium perfringens alpha-toxin: characterization and mode of action.
abstract: Clostridium perfringens type A strains that produce alpha-toxin cause gas gangrene, which is a life-threatening infection with fever, pain, edema, myonecrosis and gas production. Intramuscular injection of the toxin or Bacillus subtilis carrying the alpha-toxin gene causes myonecrosis and produces histopathological features of the disease. Immunization of mice with alpha-toxin or fragments of the toxin prevents gas gangrene caused by C. perfringens. The toxin possesses phospholipase C (PLC), sphingomyelinase (SMase) and biological activities causing hemolysis, lethality and dermonecrosis. These biological activities are closely related to PLC and/or SMase activities. However, there is yet some uncertainty about the biological activities induced by the PLC and SMase activities of alpha-toxin. Based on the isolation and characterization of the gene for alpha-toxin and a comparison of the toxin with enzymes of the PLC family, significant progress has been made in determining the function-structure of alpha-toxin and the mode of action of the toxin. To provide a better understanding of the role of alpha-toxin in tissue damage in gas gangrene, this article summarizes current knowledge of the characteristics and mode of action of alpha-toxin.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tokushima Bunri University, Yamashiro-cho, Tokushima 770-8514, Japan. sakurai@ph.bunri-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sakurai
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nagahama
authors.forename: Masataka
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Oda
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology; D008954:Models, Biological; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D010738:Type C Phospholipases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D010738:Type C Phospholipases; C040649:alpha toxin, Clostridium perfringens