title: A potential epidemic factor from the bacteria, Vibrio cholerae WO7.
abstract: Certain species of Vibrio cholerae have evolved mechanisms to become pathogenic to humans, with the potential to cause a severe life-threatening diarrheal disease, cholera. Cholera can emerge as explosive outbreaks in the human population. V. cholerae illness is produced primarily through the expression of a potent toxin (cholera toxin) within the human intestine. The present study has been carried out on a novel toxin purified from V. cholerae W07, an epidemic cholera strain devoid of cholera toxin gene (ctx). A modified method of purification improved purification fold as well as yield of this toxin. Heating was found to be the essential and sufficient condition for dissociation of the two subunits (58 kDa and 40 kDa) of this toxin (pI 5.2). The 40-kDa subunit of the purified toxin was identified as the carbohydrate binding subunit. This toxin was found to induce apoptosis in HEp-2 cells. Thus, the WO7 toxin seems to have potential importance in the pathogenesis of disease associated with Vibrio cholerae WO7.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biophysics, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India.
authors.forename: Shalmoli
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bhattacharyya
authors.forename: Jasleen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shant
authors.forename: Nirmal K
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Ganguly
authors.forename: Siddhartha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Majumdar
authors.forename: Sujata
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ghosh
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000633:toxicity; D002460:Cell Line; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000187:drug effects; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D007526:Isoelectric Point; D037102:Lectins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D008970:Molecular Weight; D011485:Protein Binding; D021122:Protein Subunits / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014734:Vibrio cholerae / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D037102:Lectins; D021122:Protein Subunits