Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 6, 2026

Isolation and Quantification of Botulinum Neurotoxin From Complex Matrices Using the BoTest Matrix Assays
12:25

Isolation and Quantification of Botulinum Neurotoxin From Complex Matrices Using the BoTest Matrix Assays

Published on: March 3, 2014

Delineating the susceptibility of botulinum neurotoxins to denaturation through thermal effects

Bin Zhou1, Sabine Pellett, William H Tepp

  • 1Department of Chemistry and Immunology, The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.

FEBS Letters
|April 9, 2008
PubMed

Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNT) are the etiological agents responsible for botulism and are acknowledged terrorist threat agents. Passive immunotherapy may provide one countermeasure. Importantly, in the virtually unlimited repertoire of antibody specificities, enzyme linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) has become an indispensable method for antibody selection. We report that of the BoNTs, BoNT/E is highly susceptible to polystyrene induced denaturation. To further dissect this result and the potential susceptibility of other BoNTs to denaturation we selected a thermal platform, which could be readily quantified using surface plasmon resonance (SPR), a primary rat spinal cord cell-based assay and an animal lethality model.

More Related Videos

A High Content Imaging Assay for Identification of Botulinum Neurotoxin Inhibitors14:10

A High Content Imaging Assay for Identification of Botulinum Neurotoxin Inhibitors

Published on: November 14, 2014

A High-throughput-compatible FRET-based Platform for Identification and Characterization of Botulinum Neurotoxin Light Chain Modulators10:30

A High-throughput-compatible FRET-based Platform for Identification and Characterization of Botulinum Neurotoxin Light Chain Modulators

Published on: December 27, 2013

Related Concept Videos

Botulism01:22

Botulism

Botulism is a life-threatening neuroparalytic condition caused by botulinum neurotoxin, which is produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, a Gram-positive, spore-forming, obligate anaerobe.In adults, the toxin enters the body in different ways: in foodborne botulism, the preformed toxin is absorbed in the intestine. In wound botulism, spores grow in injured tissue and release the toxin into the blood. Infant botulism differs mechanistically from adult forms. In infants, botulism commonly...
Protein Denaturation01:28

Protein Denaturation

The function of proteins depends on their native three-dimensional structure, which is dictated by the amino acid sequence of the specific protein. Folding of the polypeptide chain takes place under specific conditions that energetically favor the folded conformation. In contrast, protein denaturation occurs spontaneously under unfavorable conditions that disrupt the integrity of the folded conformation. Thus, the chemical and physical environment of a protein, such as significant changes in pH...
Physical Methods for Controlling Microbial Growth: Temperature01:23

Physical Methods for Controlling Microbial Growth: Temperature

Heat is a widely used method to control microbial growth by targeting and denaturing cellular proteins, thereby killing or inactivating microbes. This method's effectiveness is quantified using parameters such as the thermal death point (TDP), thermal death time (TDT), and decimal reduction time (D value). TDP represents the lowest temperature at which all microorganisms in a liquid suspension are eliminated within 10 minutes, whereas TDT is the time necessary to achieve sterilization at a...
Directly Acting Muscle Relaxants: Dantrolene and Botulinum Toxin01:26

Directly Acting Muscle Relaxants: Dantrolene and Botulinum Toxin

Directly acting muscle relaxants like dantrolene and botulinum toxin (BoNT) have distinct mechanisms and applications. Dantrolene, a hydantoin derivative, acts on the ryanodine receptor (RYR1) in skeletal muscle cells. RYR1 are calcium channels present at the sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane. In response to excitation, they release calcium ions from the sarcoplasmic reticulum to the cytosol. Calcium promotes actin-myosin-mediated contraction of muscles.
The binding of dantrolene to the RYR1...
Bacterial Toxins01:12

Bacterial Toxins

Bacterial toxins are sophisticated virulence factors that enable pathogenic bacteria to interact with, invade, and damage host tissues. These toxins fall broadly into two types: protein exotoxins, which are secreted into the environment and target specific host receptors, and lipopolysaccharide endotoxins, which are structural components of the bacterial outer membrane released primarily during bacterial lysis or membrane shedding. Exotoxins generally act more selectively, binding to cell...
Tetanus01:29

Tetanus

Tetanus is a life-threatening neurological disorder characterized by persistent muscle contractions and spastic paralysis. It is caused by Clostridium tetani, a motile, Gram-positive, rod-shaped, obligate anaerobe. These bacteria produce terminal endospores, giving them a distinctive “lollipop” or “tennis-racket” appearance. They thrive in anaerobic environments, such as those found in deep puncture wounds.Once introduced into the body, the spores germinate into vegetative cells. These cells...