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Frequency: Quarterly
ISSN: 1557-4555 (Print)
ISSN: 1557-4563 (Online)
Research Article Open Access

Effect of pH on the Conformation and Biological Activity of Clostridium septicum Alpha-toxin, a Pore-forming Hemolysin

B.M. Hang'ombe1, T. Kohda2, M. Mukamoto2 and S. Kozaki2
  • 1 University of Zambia, Zambia
  • 2 Osaka Prefecture University, Japan

Abstract

The effects of pH on the pore-forming Clostridium septicum alpha-toxin that causes myonecrosis was assessed at pH 5.0, 7.0 and 9.0 by measuring circular dichroism and its biological activity. Incubation of the toxin at pH 5.0 increased the hemolytic activity measured in murine red blood cells. On the other hand, incubation of the toxin at pH 9.0 drastically reduces the biological activity of the toxin by five-fold. This study presents the first evidence of the effect of pH on the functional properties of alpha-toxin directly related to the common disease caused by C. septicum in animals and humans i.e. traumatic and non traumatic gas gangrene.

American Journal of Animal and Veterinary Sciences
Volume 2 No. 2, 2007, 46-49

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3844/ajavsp.2007.46.49

Submitted On: 30 March 2007 Published On: 30 June 2007

How to Cite: Hang'ombe, B., Kohda, T., Mukamoto, M. & Kozaki, S. (2007). Effect of pH on the Conformation and Biological Activity of Clostridium septicum Alpha-toxin, a Pore-forming Hemolysin. American Journal of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, 2(2), 46-49. https://doi.org/10.3844/ajavsp.2007.46.49

Open AccessCopyright: © 2007 B.M. Hang'ombe, T. Kohda, M. Mukamoto and S. Kozaki. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

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Keywords

  • Clostridium septicum
  • alpha-toxin
  • hemolytic activity
  • lethality
  • pH