Binding to The Target Cell Surface Is The Crucial Step in Pore Formation of Hemolysin BL from .

A major virulence factor involved in food poisoning is the three-component enterotoxin hemolysin BL. It consists of the binding component B and the two lytic components L and L. Studying its mode of action has been challenging, as natural culture supernatants additionally contain Nhe, the second three-component enterotoxin, and purification of recombinant (r) Hbl components has been difficult.

Evidence for Complex Formation of the Bacillus cereus Haemolysin BL Components in Solution.

Haemolysin BL is an important virulence factor regarding the diarrheal type of food poisoning caused by . However, the pathogenic importance of this three-component enterotoxin is difficult to access, as nearly all natural culture supernatants additionally contain the highly cytotoxic Nhe, the second three-component toxin involved in the aetiology of -induced food-borne diseases. To better address the toxic properties of the Hbl complex, a system for overexpression and purification of functional, cytotoxic, recombinant (r)Hbl components L₂, L₁ and B from was established and an deletion mutant was constructed from reference strain F837/76.