Purification and Radiolabeling of Clostridium botulinum Type F Neurotoxin

Publisher Summary Botulism—a frequently fatal disease affecting both humans and animals—is caused by any one of the seven antigenically different neurotoxins produced by various strains of the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. The primary site of action of all the botulinum neurotoxins is the neuromuscular junction where, following a binding step in which toxin molecules interact with acceptor sites on the presynaptic nerve surface, they enter the nerve ending and block the calcium-dependent release of neurotransmitter. Botulinum type F neurotoxin is an extremely potent neuroparalytic agent with a human lethal dose on the order of a few micrograms. Although several different bacterial strains and culture conditions are used to prepare small quantities of botulinum type F toxin, the Langeland strain of C. botulinum type F is most widely used because of the high yields of toxin obtained during growth. This chapter describes the various purification and radiolabeling procedures of C. botulinum type F neurotoxin.