Cross-complementation of Clostridium perfringens PLC and Clostridium septicum alpha-toxin mutants reveals PLC is sufficient to mediate gas gangrene.
Clostridium perfringens and Clostridium septicum are the most common causes of clostridial myonecrosis or gas gangrene. Although they mediate a similar disease pathology, they elaborate functionally very different alpha-toxins. We used a reciprocal complementation approach to assess the contribution of the primary toxin of each species to disease and found that C. perfringens alpha-toxin (PLC) was able to mediate the gross pathology of myonecrosis even in a C. septicum background, although it could not induce vascular leukostasis. Conversely, while C. septicum alpha-toxin restored some virulence to a C. perfringens plc mutant, it was less active than in its native background.
Kennedy
Catherine L
CL
Australian Bacterial Pathogenesis Research Program, Monash University, Wellington Rd, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia.
Lyras
Dena
D
Cheung
Jackie K
JK
Hiscox
Thomas J
TJ
Emmins
John J
JJ
Rood
Julian I
JI
D000818:Animals; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000633:toxicity*; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000633:toxicity*; D003016:Clostridium perfringens / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D052557:Clostridium septicum / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D005260:Female; D005738:Gas Gangrene / Q000382:microbiology*; D005816:Genetic Complementation Test; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010738:Type C Phospholipases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000633:toxicity*
D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; C064270:hemolytic toxin, Clostridium septicum; D010738:Type C Phospholipases; C040649:alpha toxin, Clostridium perfringens