Alteration in Sporulation, Enterotoxin Production, and Protein Synthesis by Clostridium perfringens Type A Following Heat Shock

Abstract

Application of a heat shock (43 to 50 degrees C) applied early during the sporulation process of Clostridium perfringens delayed spore and enterotoxin production. Final levels of heat-resistant spores were similar to the control, but enterotoxin levels were reduced when the heat shock was applied at the third hour of incubation. The response of the microorganism to the heat shock was also examined by analysis of pulse-labeled proteins. Seven heat shock proteins (HSPs) associated with vegetative cells were identified by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Most were localized mainly in the membrane, although one small protein was mostly present in the cytoplasm. Fewer HSPs were detected during sporulation. Two HSPs were immunologically related to the GroEL and DnaK HSPs from Lactobacillus lactis and Escherichia coli, respectively.

Stress proteins of Clostridium perfringens type A immunoreact with antiserum from rabbits infected with gas gangrene

“…Previous studies with C. perfringens indicated that the M r of the bacterial DnaK homologue is approximately 82 kDa [4]. It has been documented that this protein could be an immunodominant antigen, and could play an important role in the pathogenesis of infection by other bacteria [5,17].…”

“…were separately mixed with an equal volume of 4· sample buffer (3% Tris, 20% b-mercaptoethanol, 10% SDS, 0.02% bromophenol blue, and 40% glycerol; pH 6.8), heated at 95°C for 3 min, and then centrifuged to remove any remaining insoluble material. SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) was performed as previously described [4]. Myosin After electrophoresis, the separated proteins were transferred to nitrocellulose membranes at 360 mA for 4 h at 4°C.…”

“…Some of these HSPs have been well characterized in certain microorganisms. HSPs are synthesized by vegetative and sporulating cells, and some are required for surviving stressful conditions and can be involved in virulence [1,4].…”

“…Recently, we found that heat shock (50°C for 20 min) induces the expression of seven proteins in vegetative cells of C. perfringens [4]. Similarly, acid shock (pH 4.5 for 20 min) induces five proteins [15], and a cold shock (28°C for 1 h) induces six proteins [16] in C. perfringens.…”

Extracts of Acacia farnesiana and Artemisia ludoviciana inhibit growth, enterotoxin production and adhesion of Vibrio cholerae

“…The radiolabeling of bacterial cells was performed by a modification of the assay described by Heredia et al (1998) For adherence assays, post-confluent cells were used after 2 or 3 days in culture. Cells were dispersed by the addition of 4 ml of trypsin solution (25% w/v, Gibco, BRL, Canada).…”