Plasmid localization of a type E botulinal neurotoxin gene homologue in toxigenic Clostridium butyricum strains, and absence of this gene in non-toxigenic C. butyricum strains

D Hauser; M Gibert; P Boquet; M R Popoff

doi:10.1016/0378-1097(92)90035-m

Plasmid localization of a type E botulinal neurotoxin gene homologue in toxigenic Clostridium butyricum strains, and absence of this gene in non-toxigenic C. butyricum strains

FEMS Microbiol Lett. 1992 Dec 1;78(2-3):251-5. doi: 10.1016/0378-1097(92)90035-m.

Authors

D Hauser¹, M Gibert, P Boquet, M R Popoff

Affiliation

¹ Unité des Toxines Microbiennes, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.

PMID: 1490606
DOI: 10.1016/0378-1097(92)90035-m

Abstract

It has been shown recently that two Clostridium butyricum strains (ATCC 43181 and ATCC 43755) contain a botulinal neurotoxin type E (BoNT/E) gene closely related to that of C. botulinum type E. In this study, we show that this gene is located on a large plasmid in the two toxigenic C. butyricum strains and is absent in 18 non-toxigenic C. butyricum and C. beijerinckii strains. Interestingly, the 230 bp upstream and the 1260 bp downstream of the neurotoxin coding sequence are not present in either the non-toxigenic C. butyricum or C. beijerinckii strains. Our data suggest a BoNT/E gene transfer from C. botulinum E to originally non-toxigenic C. butyricum strains.

MeSH terms

Base Sequence
Botulinum Toxins / genetics*
Clostridium / genetics*
DNA, Bacterial / genetics
Genes, Bacterial*
Molecular Sequence Data
Plasmids
Polymerase Chain Reaction
Species Specificity
Transfection

Substances

DNA, Bacterial
Botulinum Toxins