Onent (10 mg) of each toxin was added to CD44-IgG (10 mg in 50 ml) at room temperature for 60 min. Protein A – agarose beads were then added for 5 min at room temperature, gently centrifuged, and Ganetespib washed with buffer. SDS-PAGE sample buffer containing reducing agent was added to the beads, the mixture heated, and protein separated from the beads by centrifugation. Supernatant proteins were then resolved on a 10 gel, transferred onto nitrocellulose, and clostridial B component detected with either 1:1000 dilutions of rabbit anti-Ib (Panel A) or anti-C2II sera (Panel B). Protein A – peroxidase conjugate was used to detect bound antibody, and following washes, specific bands were visualized with chemiluminescent substrate. (C) Like the CD44-IgG construct, Ib also binds specifically to a CD44-GST construct. A GST version of C. botulinum C3 exoenzyme, used as a negative control, does not bind to Ib in pulldown experiments done similarly for panels A and B, with an Galanthamine exception being the use of glutathione-sepharose (instead of Protein A-agarose) beads. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0051356.gto determine the number of rounded cells. Data are given as mean 6 S.D. (n = 3). Significance was tested by using Graph Pad Prism 4 and the student’s t-test (* and *** respectively represent p,0.05 and 0.0005; ns = not significant). Vero cells were incubated for 30 min at 37uC, with or without 10 mM DTT. Cells were cooled on ice, Ib (1 mg/ml EMEM) added, and all incubated together for 30 min at 4uC and subsequently 30 min at 37uC. Cells were lysed in Laemmli sample buffer, heated for 5 min at 95uC, and subjected to SDS-PAGE. Proteins were blotted onto nitrocellulose membrane subsequently blocked with a powdered milk solution. Cell-bound Ib was detected on the nitrocellulose with specific rabbit antibody against Ib, anti-rabbit horseradish-peroxidase conjugate, and the enhanced chemiluminescence (ECL) system. Purified Ib not added to cells was used as a control for the blot.Effect of DTT on Enzyme Activity of IaThe effect of DTT on ADP-ribosyltransferase activity of Ia was tested with Vero cell lysate as previously described by Heine et al. [59]. Ia (22 nM) was pre-treated for 30 min at 4uC with, or without, 10 or 50 mM DTT. Subsequently, Ia (2.2 nM final concentration) was applied to Vero lysate (40 mg total protein) containing 10 mM biotin-NAD+ with or without DTT. Controls consisted of lysate and biotin-NAD+ without Ia. Samples were incubated at 37uC for 15 min and the enzyme reaction stopped by adding Laemmli sample buffer plus heat (95uC) for 5 min. Following 12.5 SDS-PAGE, proteins were transferred by semidry blotting onto a nitrocellulose membrane and the biotinylated (i.e. ADP-ribosylated) G-actin detected by streptavidin-peroxidase and ECL reaction (GE Healthcare). The intensity of biotinylated G-actin was measured by densitometry (Adobe Photoshop 7) and presented as mean 6 S.D. (n = 3). Statistical significance was determined by the student’s t-test.Inhibition of Iota Cytotoxicity with Anti-CD44 AntibodyVero cells were plated to confluency in EMEM containing 10 FBS and maintained in a humidified 37uC incubator. Cells were pre-treated with serial dilutions of an anti-CD44 monoclonal antibody (clone IM7 #553133; BD Pharmingen) for 30 min before the addition of Ib and Ia (250 ng/ml each). A non-specific isotype antibody (125 mg/ml) was included as a control. Toxin 24272870 activity was determined through the binding of phalloidin to Factin. After 4 h following toxi.Onent (10 mg) of each toxin was added to CD44-IgG (10 mg in 50 ml) at room temperature for 60 min. Protein A – agarose beads were then added for 5 min at room temperature, gently centrifuged, and washed with buffer. SDS-PAGE sample buffer containing reducing agent was added to the beads, the mixture heated, and protein separated from the beads by centrifugation. Supernatant proteins were then resolved on a 10 gel, transferred onto nitrocellulose, and clostridial B component detected with either 1:1000 dilutions of rabbit anti-Ib (Panel A) or anti-C2II sera (Panel B). Protein A – peroxidase conjugate was used to detect bound antibody, and following washes, specific bands were visualized with chemiluminescent substrate. (C) Like the CD44-IgG construct, Ib also binds specifically to a CD44-GST construct. A GST version of C. botulinum C3 exoenzyme, used as a negative control, does not bind to Ib in pulldown experiments done similarly for panels A and B, with an exception being the use of glutathione-sepharose (instead of Protein A-agarose) beads. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0051356.gto determine the number of rounded cells. Data are given as mean 6 S.D. (n = 3). Significance was tested by using Graph Pad Prism 4 and the student’s t-test (* and *** respectively represent p,0.05 and 0.0005; ns = not significant). Vero cells were incubated for 30 min at 37uC, with or without 10 mM DTT. Cells were cooled on ice, Ib (1 mg/ml EMEM) added, and all incubated together for 30 min at 4uC and subsequently 30 min at 37uC. Cells were lysed in Laemmli sample buffer, heated for 5 min at 95uC, and subjected to SDS-PAGE. Proteins were blotted onto nitrocellulose membrane subsequently blocked with a powdered milk solution. Cell-bound Ib was detected on the nitrocellulose with specific rabbit antibody against Ib, anti-rabbit horseradish-peroxidase conjugate, and the enhanced chemiluminescence (ECL) system. Purified Ib not added to cells was used as a control for the blot.Effect of DTT on Enzyme Activity of IaThe effect of DTT on ADP-ribosyltransferase activity of Ia was tested with Vero cell lysate as previously described by Heine et al. [59]. Ia (22 nM) was pre-treated for 30 min at 4uC with, or without, 10 or 50 mM DTT. Subsequently, Ia (2.2 nM final concentration) was applied to Vero lysate (40 mg total protein) containing 10 mM biotin-NAD+ with or without DTT. Controls consisted of lysate and biotin-NAD+ without Ia. Samples were incubated at 37uC for 15 min and the enzyme reaction stopped by adding Laemmli sample buffer plus heat (95uC) for 5 min. Following 12.5 SDS-PAGE, proteins were transferred by semidry blotting onto a nitrocellulose membrane and the biotinylated (i.e. ADP-ribosylated) G-actin detected by streptavidin-peroxidase and ECL reaction (GE Healthcare). The intensity of biotinylated G-actin was measured by densitometry (Adobe Photoshop 7) and presented as mean 6 S.D. (n = 3). Statistical significance was determined by the student’s t-test.Inhibition of Iota Cytotoxicity with Anti-CD44 AntibodyVero cells were plated to confluency in EMEM containing 10 FBS and maintained in a humidified 37uC incubator. Cells were pre-treated with serial dilutions of an anti-CD44 monoclonal antibody (clone IM7 #553133; BD Pharmingen) for 30 min before the addition of Ib and Ia (250 ng/ml each). A non-specific isotype antibody (125 mg/ml) was included as a control. Toxin 24272870 activity was determined through the binding of phalloidin to Factin. After 4 h following toxi.