The structural gene for diphtheria toxin, tox, has been modified at its Sph I site by the introduction of an oligonucleotide linker encoding a unique Pst I restriction endonuclease site and a synthetic oligonucleotide encoding alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH). The resulting fusion gene directs the expression of a diphtheria toxin-related alpha-MSH hybrid protein in which the dip...

Pseudomonas aeruginosa toxin (PA toxin) inhibits protein synthesis in a reticulocyte cell-free system. The inhibition requires NAD and results in a block at an elongation step of polypeptide assembly. PA toxin was found to act like diphtheria toxin fragment A. Both toxins catalyze the transfer of radioactivity from nicotinamide(U-14-C)adenine dinucleotide ((14-C)NAD) into covalent linkage with ...

Relevance. It is known that antitoxic immunity saves from diphtheria, but does not prevent the carriage of Cd (tox+). Asymptomatic carriers (tox+) play a major role in maintaining epidemiological process diphtheria infection. Aims. Characteristics population composition and specifics kinetic reactions (tox-) simultaneously functioning among people. Results. The functional features specific indi...

We have compared molecular, immunochemical, and cytotoxic assays for the detection of diphtheria toxin from 55 isolates of Corynebacterium diphtheriae and Corynebacterium ulcerans originally isolated in five different countries. The suitabilities and accuracies of these assays for the laboratory diagnosis of diphtheria were compared and evaluated against the "gold standard" in vivo methods. The...

We have previously demonstrated, by using a detergent-solubilized system, the existence of specific diphtheria toxin-binding glycoproteins on the surface of toxin-sensitive cells. We have now tested the effect of tunicamycin treatment on the sensitivity of cells in culture to diphtheria toxin and have investigated the toxin sensitivity of mutant cells with known defects in glycosylation of aspa...

Extrapharyngeal infections caused by Corynebacterium ulcerans have rarely been reported previously, and diphtheria toxin production has usually not been addressed. This case demonstrates that strains of C. ulcerans that produce diphtheria toxin can cause infections of the skin that completely mimic typical cutaneous diphtheria, thereby potentially providing a source of bacteria capable of causi...

Lysosomotropic amines are believed to inhibit the transport of diphtheria toxin to the cell cytoplasm by raising the pH within intracellular vesicles. If so, then other drugs that dissipate intracellular proton gradients should have a similar effect on toxin transport. We found that monensin, a proton ionophore unrelated to lysosomotropic amines, is a potent inhibitor of the cytotoxic effect of...

Diphtheria is caused by diphtheria toxin-producing Corynebacterium species. While classical respiratory diphtheria is transmitted by droplets, cutaneous diphtheria often results from minor trauma. This report concerns the first case of sexually transmitted diphtheria in a patient with non-gonococcal urethritis after orogenital contact.

Diphtheria toxin is a single-chain protein toxin that invades human cells by receptor-mediated endocytosis. In acidic endosomes, its translocation domain inserts into endosomal membranes and facilitates the transport of the catalytic domain (DTA) from endosomal lumen into the host cell cytosol. Here, DTA ADP-ribosylates elongation factor 2 inhibits protein synthesis and leads to cell death. The...