Bacillus cereus can attack the cell membranes of the alga Chara corallina by means of HlyII.

We studied the influence of Bacillus cereus bacteria on cells of the freshwater alga Chara corallina. These bacteria and recombinant Bacillus subtilis strains are capable of producing the secreted toxin HlyII, which changes the electrophysiological parameters of the algal electrically excitable plasma membrane by forming pores. Cooperative incubation of bacterial cells, which carry active hlyII gene, and Chara corallina cells caused a decrease in the resting potential (V(m)) and plasma membrane resistance (R(m)) of algal cells.

Expression of Bacillus cereus hemolysin II in Bacillus subtilis renders the bacteria pathogenic for the crustacean Daphnia magna.

Hemolysin II (HlyII) is a pore-forming toxin of the opportunistic pathogen Bacillus cereus. Despite our understanding of the mechanism of HlyII cytotoxicity in vitro, many of its characteristics, including potential target cells, conditions of its action and expression, are not known. Here we report that the expression of hlyII in Bacillus subtilis renders the bacteria hemolytic and is able to kill the crustacean Daphnia magna.

The properties of Bacillus cereus hemolysin II pores depend on environmental conditions.

Hemolysin II (HlyII), one of several cytolytic proteins encoded by the opportunistic human pathogen Bacillus cereus, is a member of the family of oligomeric beta-barrel pore-forming toxins. This work has studied the pore-forming properties of HlyII using a number of biochemical and biophysical approaches. According to electron microscopy, HlyII protein interacts with liposomes to form ordered heptamer-like macromolecular assemblies with an inner pore diameter of 1.

Sizing the pore of the volume-sensitive anion channel by differential polymer partitioning.

Partitioning of ethylene glycol and its polymeric forms into the pore of the volume-sensitive outwardly rectifying (VSOR) anion channel was studied to assess the pore size. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) PEG 200-300 (Rh = 0.27-0.