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Differential interaction of the two cholesterol‐dependent, membrane‐damaging toxins, streptolysin O and Vibrio cholerae cytolysin, with enantiomeric cholesterol
Author(s) -
Zitzer Alexander,
Westover Emily J,
Covey Douglas F,
Palmer Michael
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1016/s0014-5793(03)01023-8
Subject(s) - cytolysin , streptolysin , vibrio cholerae , cholesterol , cholera toxin , liposome , microbiology and biotechnology , chemistry , toxin , membrane , biochemistry , biology , bacteria , bacterial protein , genetics , virulence , gene
Membrane cholesterol is essential to the activity of at least two structurally unrelated families of bacterial pore‐forming toxins, represented by streptolysin O (SLO) and Vibrio cholerae cytolysin (VCC), respectively. Here, we report that SLO and VCC differ sharply in their interaction with liposome membranes containing enantiomeric cholesterol ( ent ‐cholesterol). VCC had very low activity with ent ‐cholesterol, which is in line with a stereospecific mode of interaction of this toxin with cholesterol. In contrast, SLO was only slightly less active with ent ‐cholesterol than with cholesterol, suggesting a rather limited degree of structural specificity in the toxin–cholesterol interaction.