BclA and toxin antigens augment each other to protect NMRI mice from lethal Bacillus anthracis challenge

Toxin-induced resistance in Bacillus anthracis lethal toxin-treated macrophages.

In the current study, we show that macrophages adaptively resist anthrax lethal toxin (LT) through a toxin-activated process termed toxin-induced resistance (TIR). TIR was triggered by pretreatment of RAW 264.7 or J774A.1 macrophages with a low dose of LT for at least 6 h, which resulted in resistance to high doses of LT for 96 h. Activation of TIR required functional toxin, because LT subunits...

Lethal Toxin Bacillus anthracis to Resistance of Human Alveolar Macrophages

Bacillus anthracis lethal toxin reduces human alveolar epithelial barrier function.

The lung is the site of entry for Bacillus anthracis in inhalation anthrax, the deadliest form of the disease. Bacillus anthracis produces virulence toxins required for disease. Alveolar macrophages were considered the primary target of the Bacillus anthracis virulence factor lethal toxin because lethal toxin inhibits mouse macrophages through cleavage of MEK signaling pathway components, but w...

Human Alveolar Epithelial Barrier Function Bacillus anthracis Lethal Toxin Reduces

Published Ahead of Print 1 October 2012. 2012, 80(12):4374. DOI: 10.1128/IAI.01011-12. Infect. Immun. Patrick Metcalf Burian, Jimmy Dale Ballard, Armin Braun and Jordan Mark Coggeshall, Shanjana Awasthi, Florea Lupu, Dennis Prenzler, Katherina Sewald, Daniel M. Williams, Kenneth Silasi-Mansat, Vijay Ramani, Tibor Zoltan Veres, Frauke Booth, Vineet Indrajit Patel, Ryan A. Zander, Robert Marybeth...

Cathelicidin administration protects mice from Bacillus anthracis spore challenge.

Cathelicidins are a family of cationic peptides expressed in mammals that possess numerous bactericidal and immunomodulatory properties. In vitro analyses showed that human, mouse, and pig cathelicidins inhibited Bacillus anthracis bacterial growth at micromolar concentrations in the presence or absence of capsule. Combined in vitro analyses of the effects of each peptide on spore germination a...