Perfringolysin O: The Underrated Clostridium perfringens Toxin?

Toxins

Stefanie Verherstraeten²  Evy Goossens²  Bonnie Valgaeren³  Bart Pardon³  Leen Timbermont²  Freddy Haesebrouck²  Richard Ducatelle²  Piet Deprez³  Kristin R. Wade¹  Rodney Tweten¹  Filip Van Immerseel² 

[1] Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA; E-Mails:;Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium; E-Mails:;Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical Biology of Large Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium; E-Mails:

关键词: cholesterol-dependent cytolysin;    gas gangrene;    myonecrosis;    necrohemorrhagic enteritis;    enterotoxaemia;    calves;   

DOI  :  10.3390/toxins7051702

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

The anaerobic bacterium Clostridium perfringens expresses multiple toxins that promote disease development in both humans and animals. One such toxin is perfringolysin O (PFO, classically referred to as θ toxin), a pore-forming cholesterol-dependent cytolysin (CDC). PFO is secreted as a water-soluble monomer that recognizes and binds membranes via cholesterol. Membrane-bound monomers undergo structural changes that culminate in the formation of an oligomerized prepore complex on the membrane surface. The prepore then undergoes conversion into the bilayer-spanning pore measuring approximately 250–300 Å in diameter. PFO is expressed in nearly all identified C. perfringens strains and harbors interesting traits that suggest a potential undefined role for PFO in disease development. Research has demonstrated a role for PFO in gas gangrene progression and bovine necrohemorrhagic enteritis, but there is limited data available to determine if PFO also functions in additional disease presentations caused by C. perfringens. This review summarizes the known structural and functional characteristics of PFO, while highlighting recent insights into the potential contributions of PFO to disease pathogenesis.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.