Evidence for plasmid-mediated toxin production in Bacillus anthracis.

Infection and Immunity
P MikesellT M Dreier

Abstract

Large-molecular-weight plasmids were isolated from virulent and avirulent strains of Bacillus anthracis. Each strain contained a single plasmid species unique from the others with respect to molecular weight. Bacterial strains were cured of their resident extrachromosomal gene pools by sequential passage of cultures at 42.5 degrees C. Coincidental to the curing of plasmids was a loss of detectable lethal toxin and edema-producing activities and a dramatic decrease in lethal factor and protective antigen serological activities. The involvement of these plasmids in the production of toxin was firmly established by transformation of heat-passaged cells with plasmid DNA purified from the parent strain. The ability to produce parent strain levels of toxin was restored, and the plasmid DNA similar in molecular weight to that isolated from the parent was reisolated in all transformants examined. The exact role these plasmids play in the production of toxin remains to be elucidated. Two additional strains of B. anthracis, designated Pasteur vaccine strains, were examined for the ability to produce toxin and for the presence of plasmid DNA. Both strains were found to be nontoxigenic and contained no detectable plasmid elements. It is th...Continue Reading

References

May 1, 1977·Analytical Biochemistry·J J Sedmak, S E Grossberg
Jan 5, 1979·Molecular & General Genetics : MGG·S Chang, S N Cohen
Feb 1, 1968·The Journal of Infectious Diseases·J A VickD C Fish
Oct 30, 1970·Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences·P S Brachman
Jan 1, 1965·Journal of Bacteriology·B W HAINESR E LINCOLN

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Jan 1, 1992·The Journal of Applied Bacteriology·P C TurnbullJ Melling
Jun 1, 1997·FEMS Microbiology Reviews·H BahlS Resch
Mar 18, 2000·Infection and Immunity·F BrossierJ C Sirard
Oct 9, 2003·Applied and Environmental Microbiology·David D WilliamsCharles L Turnbough
Sep 9, 2004·Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews : MMBR·Holger BarthBradley G Stiles
Sep 1, 2005·BioDrugs : Clinical Immunotherapeutics, Biopharmaceuticals and Gene Therapy·Stephen F Little
Nov 1, 2006·Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy·Angelo ScorpioArthur M Friedlander
Mar 28, 2008·Molecular Microbiology·Justin W Kern, Olaf Schneewind
Sep 24, 2008·BMC Infectious Diseases·Rasha HammamiehJohn Ezzell
Aug 7, 2010·Microbiology·Inka SastallaStephen H Leppla
Mar 29, 2012·Cellular Microbiology·Jessica H TonryMyung-Chul Chung
May 16, 2014·The Journal of Infectious Diseases·Bikash SahayMansour Mohamadzadeh
May 20, 2015·Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology·Joungmok KimMoon-Young Yoon
Mar 1, 1988·European Journal of Epidemiology·B E Ivins, S L Welkos
Apr 9, 2001·Infection and Immunity·S ReuvenyB Velan
Dec 6, 2000·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·J E Purser, S J Norris
Sep 15, 2001·Journal of Applied Microbiology·H I CheunK Takeshi
Jan 17, 2007·Cellular Microbiology·Jean-Nicolas TournierDominique R Vidal
Jun 28, 2006·Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy·Joanne E ThwaiteTimothy P Atkins
Jun 19, 2009·The Journal of Biological Chemistry·Ruiying WuAndrzej Joachimiak
Nov 22, 2005·Infection and Immunity·Jason E ComerRolf König
Feb 25, 2005·Revista Do Instituto De Medicina Tropical De São Paulo·Ciro MaguiñaLely Solari
Dec 14, 2004·Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews : MMBR·Andrew J PhippsMichael D Lairmore
May 19, 2010·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Sandip K DattaEyal Raz
Jul 20, 2011·The Journal of Biological Chemistry·Sean J WuJustin B Siegel
Sep 1, 2015·Frontiers in Microbiology·Karen E KempsellRichard Vipond

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Anthrax Vaccines (ASM)

Three different types of anthrax vaccines are available; a live-attenuated, an alum-precipitated cell-free filtrate and a protein recombinant vaccine. The effectiveness between the three is uncertain, but the live-attenuated have shown to reduce the risk of anthrax with low adverse events. Here is the latest research on anthrax vaccines.

Anthrax Vaccines

Three different types of anthrax vaccines are available; a live-attenuated, an alum-precipitated cell-free filtrate and a protein recombinant vaccine. The effectiveness between the three is uncertain, but the live-attenuated have shown to reduce the risk of anthrax with low adverse events. Here is the latest research on anthrax vaccines.

Anthrax

Anthrax toxin, comprising protective antigen, lethal factor, and oedema factor, is the major virulence factor of Bacillus anthracis, an agent that causes high mortality in humans and animals. Here is the latest research on Anthrax.