Designing strong inducible synthetic promoters in yeasts.

Inducible promoters are essential for precise control of target gene expression in synthetic biological systems. However, engineering eukaryotic promoters is often more challenging than engineering prokaryotic promoters due to their greater mechanistic complexity. In this study, we describe a simple and reliable approach for constructing strongly inducible synthetic promoters with minimum leakiness in yeasts.

Characterization of Serotype CD Mosaic Botulinum Neurotoxin in Comparison with Serotype C and A.

Botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT), produced by , cleaves proteins involved in neurotransmitter release, thereby triggering flaccid paralyses, which are responsible for botulism. BoNT is classified into seven serotypes (BoNT/A-G); BoNT/A and BoNT/B are used as medical therapeutics and anti-wrinkle reagents. In this study, we investigated the efficacy of BoNT/CD, a mosaic toxin of BoNT/C and BoNT/D, to assess its potential as a therapeutic alternative for BoNT/A.

Species-specific gene duplication in Clostridia produces variations of cholesterol-dependent cytolysin with different cytotoxicity.

Cholesterol-dependent cytolysin (CDC) is a bacterial toxin that binds to eukaryotic cholesterol-containing membranes, forms oligomeric complexes, and is inserted into the bilayer to create large aqueous pores. Recently, we reported a species-specific duplication of the hemolysin gene in group III Clostridium botulinum. The duplicated genes (bly1 and bly2) encoded two separate CDC proteins (botulinolysins; BLY1 and BLY2).

Complete subunit structure of serotype C and D botulinum progenitor toxin complex induces vacuolation in the specific epithelial cell line.

Clostridium botulinum produces seven botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) serotypes. In nature, BoNT exists as a part of the progenitor toxin complex (PTC) through associations with neurotoxin associated proteins (NAPs), including nontoxic nonhemagglutinin and hemagglutinin (HA) complex, consists of HA-70, HA-17 and HA-33. Because PTC displays higher oral toxicity than pure BoNTs, NAPs play a critical role in food poisoning.

Atomic force microscopic image data of botulinum neurotoxin complexes with different molecular sizes.

This data article provides atomic force microscopy (AFM) amplitude images of botulinum toxin complex (TC) molecules produced by serotype D strain. produces different-sized TC molecules, such as a complex of botulinum neurotoxin and nontoxic nonhemagglutinin proteins (M-TC) and complex of M-TC and hemagglutinin subcomplex (L-TC). In this data article, the M and L-TC produced by serotype D strain 4947 were imaged by AFM.