Phallolysin

genus. Phallolysin is most commonly found in the Amanita phalloides species. Phallolysin is a protein found the Amanita phalloides species of the Amanita genus of mushrooms, the species commonly known as the death cap mushroom. The protein is toxic and causes cytolysis in many cells found in animals and is noted for its hemolytic properties. It was one of the first toxins discovered in Amanita phalloides when the various toxins in the species where first being researched. The protein itself is observed to come in 3 variations, with observed differences in isoelectric point. Cytolysis can be best described as being the destruction of cells, likely due to exposure from an external source such as pathogens and toxins. Hemolysis then follows a similar destructive pathway, but instead focuses specifically on the destruction of red blood cells. Phallolysin is known to be thermolabile, meaning that it is destroyed at high temperatures, and acid labile, meaning that it is easily broken down in acidic environments.

genus. Phallolysin is most commonly found in the Amanita phalloides species.]] Phallolysin is a protein found the Amanita phalloides species of the Amanita genus of mushrooms, the species commonly known as the death cap mushroom. The protein is toxic and causes cytolysis in many cells found in animals and is noted for its hemolytic properties. It was one of the first toxins discovered in Amanita phalloides when the various toxins in the species where first being researched. The protein itself is observed to come in 3 variations, with observed differences in isoelectric point. Cytolysis can be best described as being the destruction of cells, likely due to exposure from an external source such as pathogens and toxins. Hemolysis then follows a similar destructive pathway, but instead focuses specifically on the destruction of red blood cells. Phallolysin is known to be thermolabile, meaning that it is destroyed at high temperatures, and acid labile, meaning that it is easily broken down in acidic environments. Phallolysin has been observed to have hemolytic properties toward a variety of animal cells, with it primarily being observed in mammals. The toxic effects are reduced at higher temperatures. These properties are believed to be instigated by ion permeable membrane channels that form as a result of the hemolytic capabilities of phallolysin. In addition to hemolysis, phallolysin in high concentrations are also thought to cause damage to bovine phospholipids with a negative net charge, phosphatidylcholine, and sphingomyelin containing liposomes. However, phospholipid-membranes are only susceptible to phallolysin without receptor proteins being present. These effects are similar to those of staphylococcal 𝛼-toxin. Cytolysis can go into effect at concentrations beginning at 10-8 M, with a lag time of roughly only 2 to 3 minutes. This is accompanied by the rapid movement of Na+ ions into the cell, and the rapid movement of K+ ions out of the cell. This rapid rate of cytolysis occurs primarily in human erythrocytes, or human red blood cells, due to the presence of glycoproteins or glycolipids that act as specific receptors. This interaction further backs up the claim in which phallolysin does not target the cell's plasma membrane, but rather the glycoprotein receptors. This protein has also been known to increase levels of cellular phospholipase, which is a lipolytic enzyme that functions as a phospholipid hydrolyzer to break ester bonds in phospholipids. This has been discovered in the specific cellular phospholipase A 2 in 3T3 Swiss mouse fibroblasts, which are key components in the structural formation of connective tissues. This study suggests that phallolysin additionally acts by hydrolyzing membrane phospholipids in fibroblasts. Such results also suggest that these cell surfaces in which phallolysin acts upon are also Ca 2+ enzyme dependent, however the protein itself is not Ca 2+ dependent. Phallolysin has additionally been discovered to interact mostly with D-galactose and the 𝛽-derivatives, with no glycosylation preferences between O-glycosylation and N-glycosylation. When performing studies on the treatment of rat mast cells with multiple fungal cytolysins, phallolysin was found to interact greatly with lecithin, a fatty substance found in the mice's tissue. It was also found to cause degranulation, or the release of histamine, of the mast cells, depending on the dosage. Various mammals were additionally tested to determine the sensitivity of red blood cells to this toxin. From this, it was determined that mice are more sensitive than rabbits, and rabbits and guinea pigs are roughly equal in sensitivity. Rabbits and guinea pigs are more sensitive than rats, rats are more sensitive than humans, humans are more sensitive than dogs and pigs, and dogs and pigs are more sensitive than sheep and cattle. This is further displayed in the order: mouse > rabbit = guinea pig > rat > man > dog ≃ pig > sheep-cattle.

Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1315767814 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.