# MECHANISM OF ACTION OF C PERFRINGENS ENTEROTOXIN

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · 1987 · $113,606

## Abstract

In recent years considerable progress has been made towards an
understanding of the action of C. perfringens enterotoxin.  This
enterotoxin produces all symptoms associated with one of the most common
food poisonings in the United States.  Our long-term objective is to obtain
an understanding of the pathophysiological mechanism(s) by which
enterotoxin acts on sensitive cells.  We are interested in elucidating the
action of C. perfringens enterotoxin for several reasons, including 1) the
public health importance of C. perfringens food poisoning, 2) the
uniqueness of the action and biochemical structure of C. perfringens
enterotoxin which differentiates it from all other enterotoxins studied to
date and 3) the possible use of the enterotoxin as a probe of intestinal
brush border membrane structure and function.

The proposed research will:  1) confirm the identity of a putative brush
border membrane receptor for enterotoxin by use of immunoprecipitation,
immunoblotting and membrane probes.  This putative receptor will be
purified by affinity chromatography and other biochemical techniques.  We
also will 2) examine, at the level of the electron microscope,
morphological damage caused by enterotoxin, and the cellular location of
enterotoxin will be determined by immunochemical localization.
Additionally, this research will 3) examine more closely the transport
alterations and possible molecular membrane changes caused by enterotoxin.
Ion flux studies, ion channel-blockers, lipid and protein analyses (by TLC
and SDS-PAGE, respectively), and regulatory-mechanism (e.g., protein
kinases) studies will be used.  Importantly, 4) we will further study the
enterotoxin molecule itself, using epitope mapping (via antienterotoxin
monoclonal antibodies), and chemical and enzymic modifications.  Lastly, 5)
the possible existence of an additional enterotoxin(s) will be determined.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3129283
- **Project number:** 5R01AI019844-06
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH
- **SAM.gov UEI:** MKAGLD59JRL1
- **Principal Investigator:** Bruce A Mc Clane
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1987
- **Award amount:** $113,606
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1982-07-01 → 1989-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3129283

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3129283, MECHANISM OF ACTION OF C PERFRINGENS ENTEROTOXIN (5R01AI019844-06). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3129283. Licensed CC0.

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