PARTIAL-PURIFICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF A LIPID TOXIN PRODUCED BY MYCOBACTERIUM-ULCERANS

Organisms in the genus Mycobacterium cause a variety of human diseases , One member of the genus, M. ulcerans, causes a necrotizing skin dise ase called Buruli ulcer, Buruli ulcer is unique among mycobacterial di seases in that the organisms at the site of infection are extracellula r and there is little acute inflammatory response, Previous literature reported the presence of a toxin in the culture supernatant of M. ulc erans which causes a cytopathic effect on the mouse fibroblast cell li ne L929 in which the adherent cells round up and detach from the tissu e culture plate. Here we report partial purification of a lipid toxin from the culture supernatant of M. ulcerans which is capable of causin g the cytopathic effect on L929 cells, We also show that this cytopath ic effect is a result of cytoskeletal rearrangement. The M. ulcerans t oxin does not cause cell death but instead arrests cells in the G(1) p hase of the cell cycle.