Bacteriology - protein toxins. Flashcards
Toxins targetting the plasma membrane (6)
S. aureus alpha toxin S. aureus leukocidine Perfringolysin E. coli alpha toxin C. perfringens enterotoxin V. parahemolyticus hemolysin.
Toxins targetting protein synthesis (3)
Diphtheria toxin
Pseudomonas exotoxin A
Shiga toxin.
Toxins targetting the cytoskeleton
C. botulinum C2 toxin (actin ADP-ribosylating
C. perfringens a (?) toxin
V. cholerae RTX (catalyses a chemical crosslinking reaction of actin thereby forming oligomers, while blocking the polymerization of actin to functional filaments)
Toxins that target the cell membrane - general types
Phospholipases
Pore forming cytotoxins.
Phospholipase effects - esp Clostridium perfringens alpha toxin
Membrane disrupting alpha toxin has broad tropism, kills cells.
Results: release of nutrients, formation of dead tissue which has no blood supply for the delivery of oxygen, antibiotics or immune defence.
Structure of clostridium perfringens alpha toxin
Ctd; membrane binding, like eukaryotic C2 domains.
Ntd: catalytic, homologous to other phospholipases.
Clostridium perfringens alpha toxin action
Ca++ dependent insertion –> conformational change –> cleavage. At sublytic concentrations, diacylglycerol produced may lead to signalling leading to inflammatory response, vascular permeability and platelet aggregation.
General action of pore-forming toxins
Bind receptor. Oligomerise. Insert to form pore. Alter ion concentrations.
Clostridium perfringens pore forming toxin, PFO.
Bind to the membrane to form arcs and rings. Regulated by VirR-VirS and PfoR systems. Prepore –> pore.
Pore forming toxins results
Lytic concentration: ion conc changes –> osmotic potential –> lysis.
Sublytic: increase in Ca++, decrease in K+ –> alters MAPKKK, alters Sek, alters MAPK signalling.
Clostridium perfringens pore forming toxin, PFO.
Bind to the membrane to form arcs and rings. Regulated by VirR-VirS system. Prepore –> pore.
Clostridium perfringens pore forming toxin, PFO. Prepore –> pore collapse
D2 undergoes vertical collapse. D3 insertes beta-hairpins.
Clostridium perfringens toxins co-operation.
PFO needs to bind cholesterol, hidden by phospho head groups. Alpha toxin removes these.
PFO pathogenesis
Tissue destruction, absence of inflammatory cells, intravascular blockage, cardiovascular collapse.
Staph aureus toxins
Hyaluronidase (spreading factor), coagulase (clot formation), staphylokinase, lipase (penetration of fatty tissue), collagenase.
Under control of Agr system.
RNA III needed for translation of alpha hemolysin.
Staph aureus pore forming toxins.
alpha-hemolysin - disruption of epithelial barrier.
Leukocidins - immune cell death and dysfunction.
Short form of staphylococcal alpha hemolysin
Hla
Short form of staphylococcal leukocidins
Luk
HlyE pore formation
Hydrophobic B-tongue region inserts. Helix A swings up to make an extension of helix B. Oligomerisation occurs, stimulating insertion of helix A.
Mechanism of Hla and Luk
Structural rearrangement of amino latch to contact neighbouring monomer leads to extension of beta hairpin stem into lipid bilayer.
Forms mushroom shaped toxin with B-stem.
Mechanism of Hla and Luk
Structural rearrangement of amino latch to contact neighbouring monomer leads to extension of beat hairpin stem into lipid bilayer.
HlyE
35 angstrom pore. Dodecameric alpha-helical pore.
HlyE pore formation
B-tongue region inserts. Helix A swings up to make an extension of helix B. Oligomerisation occurs, stimulating insertion of helix A.
Common features between HlyE and S. aureus alpha hemolysin.
Soluble monomers.
Oligomeric pre-pore complex.
Structural rearrangements lead to hydrophobic domain swinging out.
RTX toxins
E. coli hemolysin.
Multiple nonapeptide repeats which bind calcium.
Effect of binding specific receptors
lowering diffusion space from 3D to 2D means much more likely to contact each other. Pre-clustered receptor exacerbrate this effect.
Structures and mechanisms by which pores are formed
o β-PFTs
o α-PFT
β-PFTs - types
Cholestrol dependent cytolysins.
α-haemolysin and leukocidins
Aerolysin .
Example of B-PFT cholestrol dependent cytolysin
perfringolysin
ILY
Structure of PFO
• Four domains per monomer. Each monomer secreted as soluble monomer by Sec. D1 - D4
Structure of PFO; D4
D4 tryptophan-rich undecapeptide anchors in perpendicular position. Anchors to non-classical receptor cholesterol in lipid rafts.
Structure of ILY; D4
Changes in D4 mean ILY doesn’t bind all cholesterol containing membranes, but is specific to those containing CD59 instead; it has the single function of initiating pre-pore to pore conversion.
Structure of PFO; D3
o D3 also important in oligomerisation to form prepore – after membrane binding by D4 leads to conformationally coupled change in small loop in D3.
Example of B-PFT cholestrol dependent cytolysin
perfringolysin
Intermedilysin
Structure of PFO; D3
o D3 also important in oligomerisation to form prepore – after membrane binding by D4 leads to conformationally coupled change in small loop in D3.
Has beta hairpins (two per monomer in PFO) which probably form pre-insertion beta-barrel.
Cholesterol dependent cytolysins - cholestrol dependence.
For unknown reasons, CDCs seem most dependent on cholesterol on pre-pore to pore stage, not initial association stage.
Cholesterol dependent cytolysins - pore size.
20-30 nm.
α-PFT
HlyE
RTX toxins such as HlyA
Unique CDCs
LLO
Streptolysin
PLY
Uniqueness of LLO
o LLO activity is pH dependent.
o LLO PEST sequence causes degradation in cytoplasm
Uniqueness of streptolysin
Translocation through pore of active domain.
NAD+ glycohydrolase is transported in. Inhibits internalisation of bacteria, and promote keratinocyte death.
Uniqueness of PLY
A CDC, but contains a domain which activates complement as well.
Aerolysin
Binds lipid-anchored proteins, requires propeptide cleavage to initiate oligomerisation. Since protease furin is restricted to cell surface, so is oligomerisation.
HlyE oligomerisation
Oligomerisation occurs with tight specific interactions between protomers, more than 1/4 of surface involved in interface
RTX repeats
In pore forming toxins, but also in others e.g. P. aeruginosa alkaline phosphatase also has this motif.
Use of PFTs in biotech
Α-haemolysin used in biotech sequencing.