Description:

Title: Mechanisms of MARTX Toxin Binding to Mammalian Host Surfaces  

Speaker: Jiexi Chen, DGP Graduate Student, Lab of Karla Satchell

Topic:

Multifunctional-autoprocessing repeats-in-toxin (MARTX) toxins are large pore-forming toxins secreted from several Gram-negative bacteria. Importantly, it is the dominant virulence factor of the highly lethal Vibrio vulnificus, a foodborne marine pathogen. To study the previously unknown mechanism of how MARTX toxin interacts with host at cellular surface, we purified multiple fragments of the toxin and tested their binding ability to host cells. We found two N-terminal fragments of the toxin independently attach to mammalian cell membrane via host N-glycans and heparan sulfate.This study unravels novel mechanisms of toxin-host interactions at host surfaces with implications for Vibrio vulnificus pathogenesis.  

Host:  Karla Satchell, PhD, Professor, Dept. of Microbiology-Immunology