title: Regulation of Toxin Production in Clostridium perfringens.
abstract: The Gram-positive anaerobic bacterium Clostridium perfringens is widely distributed in nature, especially in soil and the gastrointestinal tracts of humans and animals. C. perfringens causes gas gangrene and food poisoning, and it produces extracellular enzymes and toxins that are thought to act synergistically and contribute to its pathogenesis. A complicated regulatory network of toxin genes has been reported that includes a two-component system for regulatory RNA and cell-cell communication. It is necessary to clarify the global regulatory system of these genes in order to understand and treat the virulence of C. perfringens. We summarize the existing knowledge about the regulatory mechanisms here.
authors.affiliation: Miyarisan Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., 1-10-3, Kaminakazato, Kita-ku, Tokyo 114-0016, Japan. k.ohtani@miyarisan.com.|Department of Bacteriology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, 13-1 Takara-machi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-8640, Japan. k.ohtani@miyarisan.com.
authors.forename: Kaori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ohtani
authors.affiliation: Department of Bacteriology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, 13-1 Takara-machi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-8640, Japan.
authors.forename: Tohru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shimizu
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D003016:Clostridium perfringens / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D014774:Virulence
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001427:Bacterial Toxins
keywords: C. perfringens; regulatory network