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ACTION OF PLAGUE MURINE TOXIN ON MITOCHONDRIA FROM RESISTANT AND SUSCEPTIBLE ANIMALS

S KADIS, S J AJL, J H RUST

    Journal of Bacteriology
    |October 1, 1963
    PubMed

    Insights

    Plague murine toxin inhibits mitochondrial respiration in rats and rabbits. However, immunization offers some protection to rat heart mitochondria, suggesting a potential therapeutic target against plague toxin.

    Area of Science:

    • Biochemistry
    • Microbiology
    • Toxicology

    Background:

    • * *Pasteurella pestis* is the causative agent of plague.
    • * Murine toxin is a key virulence factor of *P. pestis*.
    • * Mitochondria are crucial for cellular energy production and are potential targets for toxins.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • * To investigate the effects of purified *P. pestis* murine toxin on mitochondria from different animal species.
    • * To determine if immunization influences mitochondrial susceptibility to the toxin.
    • * To explore the specific cellular targets of the toxin within mitochondria.

    Main Methods:

    • * Isolation of liver, heart, and brain mitochondria from rats and rabbits.
    • * Measurement of mitochondrial respiration in the presence of purified *P. pestis* toxin.
    • * Disruption of sarcosomes using sodium deoxycholate or sonic vibration.
    • * Assessment of mitochondrial swelling induced by the toxin.

    Main Results:

    • * Purified murine toxin inhibited respiration in liver mitochondria from both rats and rabbits.
    • * Toxin inhibited disrupted rabbit sarcosomes but not intact ones.
    • * Heart mitochondria from immunized rats showed slight inhibition, unlike liver mitochondria.
    • * Toxin induced swelling in rat heart mitochondria but not rabbit heart mitochondria.
    • * Brain mitochondria were unaffected by the toxin.

    Conclusions:

    • * Murine toxin directly affects mitochondrial respiration, impacting energy production.
    • * Immunization may confer partial protection to specific mitochondria (rat heart).
    • * Toxin's action is tissue- and species-specific, suggesting complex mechanisms of toxicity.
    Keywords:
    EXPERIMENTAL LAB STUDYIMMUNE SERUMSLIVER CYTOLOGYMETABOLISMMICEMITOCHONDRIAMYOCARDIUMPASTEURELLA PESTISPLAGUERABBITSRATSTOXINS AND ANTITOXINS

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