Open AccessEvaluation of the proposed interaction of nucleic acid with Clostridium difficile toxins A and B and the effects of nucleases on cytotoxicity
Author(s) -
Borriello S.P.,
Stewart S.,
Seddon S.V.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.1991.tb04568.x
Subject(s) - toxin , cytotoxicity , clostridium difficile toxin a , clostridium difficile toxin b , clostridium difficile , microbiology and biotechnology , serine protease , nucleic acid , protease , biology , proteases , dna , biochemistry , chemistry , enzyme , antibiotics , in vitro
Both DNA and RNA were found to co‐purify with Clostridium difficile toxin B but not toxin A. DNAase treatment greatly reduced the cytotoxicity of toxin B but not of toxin A. RNAase had no effect on either toxin. The effects on toxin B were shown to be due to a contaminating protease and could be inhibited by the serine protease inhibitor phenylmethylsulphonyl fluoride.