Laboratory of Biochemistry

Our results on "BBRC"

We revealed the solution structure of HA-33/HA-17 complex from serotype C Clostridium botulinum.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006291X1630821X

Conformational divergence in the HA-33/HA-17 trimer of serotype C and D botulinum toxin complex Clostridium botulinum produces a large toxin complex (L-TC) comprising botulinum neurotoxin associated with auxiliary nontoxic proteins. A complex of 33- and 17-kDa hemagglutinins (an HA-33/HA-17 trimer) enhances L-TC transport across the intestinal epithelial cell layer via binding HA-33 to a sugar...

Our results on "Microbiological Research"
We found that the species specific gene duplication in botulinolysin in the Clostridia.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0944501316302452

Isolation of botulinolysin, a thiol-activated hemolysin, from serotype D Clostridium botulinum: A species-specific gene duplication in Clostridia Botulinolysin (BLY) is a toxin produced by Clostridium botulinum that belongs to a group of thiol-activated hemolysins. In this study, a protein exhibiting hemolytic activity was purified from the culture supernatant of C. botulinum serotype D strain 4947. The purified protein displayed a single ban...

Our results on "Scientific Reports"
We found that the "Non-Toxic" protein complex in the botulinum toxin complex is not "Non-Toxic".

http://www.nature.com/articles/srep31043

“Non-Toxic” Proteins of the Botulinum Toxin Complex Exert In-vivo Toxicity The botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) causes muscle paralysis and is the most potent toxin in nature. BoNT is associated with a complex of auxiliary “Non-Toxic” proteins, which constitute a large-sized toxin complex (L-TC).

Our paper regarding to crystallization of Clostridium botulinum type D NTNHA has accepted to the journal, Acta Crystallographica Section F. The title is "Crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of the Clostridium
botulinum type D nontoxic-nonhemagglutinin".

Ken Inui, a PhD student in our laboratory, was awarded Excellent paper award at Hokkaido branch of Japanese Society for Bacteriology.