Clostridioides difficile toxin A

Clostridioides difficile toxin A
Identifiers
OrganismClostridioides difficile
SymboltoxA
Alt. symbolstcdA
Entrez4914076
RefSeq (Prot)YP_001087137.1
UniProtP16154
Other data
EC number2.4.1.-
Chromosomegenome: 0.79 - 0.81 Mb
Search for
StructuresSwiss-model
DomainsInterPro
SEM of Clostridioides difficile bacteria
PaLoc Reference: Clostridioides difficile strain 630, DSM 27543, genome GenBank accession number AM180355 Positions 770.154 to 789.973 bp, total locus size 19.8 kb.

Clostridioides difficile toxin A (TcdA) is a toxin produced by the bacteria Clostridioides difficile, formerly known as Clostridium difficile.[1] It is similar to Clostridium difficile Toxin B. The toxins are the main virulence factors produced by the gram positive, anaerobic,[2] Clostridioides difficile bacteria. The toxins function by damaging the intestinal mucosa and cause the symptoms of C. difficile infection, including pseudomembranous colitis.

TcdA is one of the largest bacterial toxins known. With a molecular mass of 308 kDa, it is usually described as a potent enterotoxin,[3] but it also has some activity as a cytotoxin.[4] The toxin acts by modifying host cell GTPase proteins by glucosylation, leading to changes in cellular activities. Risk factors for C. difficile infection include antibiotic treatment, which can disrupt normal intestinal microbiota and lead to colonization of C. difficile bacteria.[5]

  1. ^ Planche T, Aghaizu A, Holliman R, Riley P, Poloniecki J, Breathnach A, Krishna S (December 2008). "Diagnosis of Clostridium difficile infection by toxin detection kits: a systematic review". The Lancet Infectious Diseases. 8 (12): 777–84. doi:10.1016/S1473-3099(08)70233-0. PMID 18977696.
  2. ^ Edwards AN, Suárez JM, McBride SM (September 2013). "Culturing and maintaining Clostridium difficile in an anaerobic environment". Journal of Visualized Experiments (79): e50787. doi:10.3791/50787. PMC 3871928. PMID 24084491.
  3. ^ Peterson LR, Holter JJ, Shanholtzer CJ, Garrett CR, Gerding DN (August 1986). "Detection of Clostridium difficile toxins A (enterotoxin) and B (cytotoxin) in clinical specimens. Evaluation of a latex agglutination test". American Journal of Clinical Pathology. 86 (2): 208–11. doi:10.1093/ajcp/86.2.208. PMID 3739972.
  4. ^ Tucker KD, Carrig PE, Wilkins TD (May 1990). "Toxin A of Clostridium difficile is a potent cytotoxin". Journal of Clinical Microbiology. 28 (5): 869–71. doi:10.1128/JCM.28.5.869-871.1990. PMC 267826. PMID 2112562.
  5. ^ Winkler ME, Wilson BJ, Salyers AA, Whitt DD (2010). Bacterial Pathogenesis: A Molecular Approach. Metals Park, Ohio: ASM. ISBN 978-1-55581-418-2.