Purification of Clostridium botuliunum type F progenitor toxin

Abstract

Clostridium botulinum type F progenitor toxin was purified to a homogeneous state as judged by gel filtration on Sephadex G-200, ultracentrifugation, and disc electrophoresis. The sedimentation constant, corrected to water at 20 C, of type F progenitor toxin was determined to be 10.3 and the molecular weight to be 235,000 by ultracentrifugation at pH 6.0. The purified toxin contained a toxicity of 1.2 x 10(8) 50% lethal doses/mg of N. In agar gel double diffusion, it formed two precipitin lines at pH 6.0. The progenitor toxin of type F differs from that of type A in that it contains no hemagglutinin and from that of type E in that it is not activable.