Expression of Recombinant Zonula Occludens Toxin (Zot) of Vibrio Cholerae and Biological Activity on Rabbit Ileal Loops

authors:

avatar Shaghayegh Anvari 1 , avatar Shahin Najar Peerayeh 1 , * , avatar Mehrdad Behmanesh 2 , avatar Seyed Davar Siadat 3

Department of Bacteriology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, IR Iran
Department of Genetic, Faculty of Basic Science, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, IR Iran
Department of Hepatitis and AIDS, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, IR Iran

how to cite: Anvari S, Najar Peerayeh S, Behmanesh M, Siadat S D. Expression of Recombinant Zonula Occludens Toxin (Zot) of Vibrio Cholerae and Biological Activity on Rabbit Ileal Loops. Arch Clin Infect Dis. 2011;6(4): 148-151. 

Abstract

Introduction:

Vibrio cholerae causes potentially lethal disease, cholera, through the elaboration of the intestinal
secretion of cholera toxin .The cholera enterotoxin (CT) has been considered as the major virulence factor of V.cholerae. This microorganism also produces other putative toxins such as Zonula Occludens toxin (Zot) and Accessory cholera enterotoxin (Ace). Zot has the ability to reversibly alter intestinal epithelial tight junctions, allowing the passage of macromolecules through the mucosal barrier. The Zot toxin alters ion transport and causes fluid accumulation in ligated rabbit ileal loops which results in mild diarrhea.

Materials and Methods:

In this study, gene coding for the Zot toxin was amplified from V. cholera isolate 62013. The PCR product containing the Zot gene was cloned in pET28a expression vector .The recombinant Zot gene was transformed into E. coli (DH5 ?) and then retransformed into E. coli Tuner for expression. Expression of recombinant protein induced by isopropythio-?-D-galctoside (IPTG) at different concentration and was examined by SDS-PAGE and Western blotting. Rabbit ileal loops experiment was conducted.

Results:

Cloning of Zot was confirmed by colony-PCR and enzymatic digestion. The recombinant Zot with molecular weights of 45KDa and 22kDa was expressed and reacted with rabbit anti-Vibrio cholerae polyclonal antibody in western-blot analysis. Zot protein significantly causes fluid accumulation in ligated rabbit ileal loops test.

Conclusion:

Our findings indicated that a prokaryotic expression system for Zot protein was successfully constructed. This expression system can be useful as a tool for production of Zot protein for vaccine purposes.

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