A diffusible cytotoxin of Haemophilus ducreyi

Leslie D Cope; Sheryl Lumbley; Jo L Latimer; Julia Klesney-Tait; Marla K Stevens; Linda S Johnson; Maria Purven; Robert S Munson; Teresa Lagergard; Justin D Radolf; Eric J Hansen

doi:10.1073/pnas.94.8.4056

Back

A diffusible cytotoxin of Haemophilus ducreyi

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

A diffusible cytotoxin of Haemophilus ducreyi

Leslie D Cope, Sheryl Lumbley, Jo L Latimer, Julia Klesney-Tait, Marla K Stevens, Linda S Johnson, Maria Purven, Robert S Munson, Teresa Lagergard, Justin D Radolf, …

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS, Vol.94(8), pp.4056-4061

04/15/1997

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.94.8.4056

PMCID: PMC20567

PMID: 9108104

Files and links (1)

url

https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.94.8.4056View

Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

Little is known about the virulence mechanisms employed by Haemophilus ducreyi in the production of genital ulcers. This Gram-negative bacterium previously has been shown to produce a soluble cytotoxic activity that kills HeLa and HEp-2 cells. We have now identified a cluster of three H. ducreyi genes that encode this cytotoxic activity. The predicted proteins encoded by these genes are most similar to the products of the Escherichia coli cdtABC genes that comprise the cytolethal distending toxin (CDT) of this enteric pathogen. Eleven of 12 H. ducreyi strains were shown to possess this gene cluster and culture supernatants from these strains readily killed HeLa cells. The culture supernatant from a single strain of H. ducreyi that lacked these genes was unable to kill HeLa cells. When the H. ducreyi cdtABC gene cluster was cloned into E. coli, culture supernatant from the recombinant E. coli clone killed HeLa cells. A monoclonal antibody that neutralized this soluble cytotoxic activity of H. ducreyi was shown to bind to the H. ducreyi cdtC gene product. This soluble H. ducreyi cytotoxin may play a role in the development or persistence of the ulcerative lesions characteristic of chancroid.

Biological Sciences

chancroid

virulence factor

bacterial pathogenesis

Details

Title: Subtitle: A diffusible cytotoxin of Haemophilus ducreyi
Creators: Leslie D Cope - Departments of
Sheryl Lumbley - Departments of
Jo L Latimer - Departments of
Julia Klesney-Tait - Departments of
Marla K Stevens - Departments of
Linda S Johnson - Departments of
Maria Purven - Departments of
Robert S Munson - Departments of
Teresa Lagergard - Departments of
Justin D Radolf - Departments of
Eric J Hansen - Departments of
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS, Vol.94(8), pp.4056-4061
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.94.8.4056
PMID: 9108104
PMCID: PMC20567
NLM abbreviation: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
ISSN: 0027-8424
eISSN: 1091-6490
Publisher: National Academy of Sciences
Language: English
Date published: 04/15/1997
Academic Unit: Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Occupational Medicine; Internal Medicine
Record Identifier: 9984094876302771

Metrics

27 Record Views

189 Times Cited - Web of Science

See more details