STAPHYLOCOCCAL ALPHA-TOXIN INCREASES THE PERMEABILITY OF LIPID VESICLES BY CHOLESTEROL-DEPENDENT AND PH-DEPENDENT ASSEMBLY OF OLIGOMERIC CHANNELS
STAPHYLOCOCCAL ALPHA-TOXIN INCREASES THE PERMEABILITY OF LIPID VESICLES BY CHOLESTEROL-DEPENDENT AND PH-DEPENDENT ASSEMBLY OF OLIGOMERIC CHANNELS
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DOI:
10.1111/j.1432-1033.1989.tb14790.x
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发表时间:
1989-05-15
期刊:
影响因子:
--
通讯作者:
MENESTRINA, G
中科院分区:
文献类型:
--
作者:
FORTI, S;MENESTRINA, G
.alpha.-Toxin, a lethal hemolytic toxin secreted by Staphylococcus aureus, forms ionic channels of large size in lipid membranes. To investigate the mechanism of channel assembly we have studied the kinetics of pore formation on small unilamellar vesicles. We have used two assays of vesicle permeabilization: one is the release of a fluorescent molecule trapped in their inner compartment; the other is the dissipation of an imposed potential. Both methods indicate that the kinetics are complex consisting of an initial delay followed by a non-linear relaxation. The dependence of the pore formation rate and the extent of permeabilization on the toxin/vesicle ratio indicates that aggregation of 4-10 preinserted toxin monomers underlies channel assembly. The pH dependence of permeabilization suggests that protonation of an acidic group of the toxin is a prerequisite to channel formation. Inclusion of cholesterol in the target vesicles potentiates .alpha.-toxin effects, in a dose-dependent way, possibly by facilitating its protonation. The location of the proton-binding site on the two adjacent aspartic acid residues in positions 127 and 128 of the toxin monomer is proposed.