Shiga Toxin Is Transported into the Nucleoli of Intestinal Epithelial Cells via a Carrier-Dependent Process

Authors

Boris Baibakov, Johns Hopkins UniversityFollow
Rakhilya Murtazina, Johns Hopkins UniversityFollow
Christian Elowsky, Johns Hopkins UniversityFollow
Francis M. Giardiello, Johns Hopkins UniversityFollow
Olga Kovbasnjuk, Johns Hopkins UniversityFollow

Date of this Version

2010

Citation

Toxins 2010, 2, 1318-1335

Comments

© 2010 by the authors

Open access

doi:10.3390/toxins2061318

Abstract

Shiga toxin (Stx) produced by the invasive Shigella dysenteriae serotype 1 (S. dysenteriae1) causes gastrointestinal and kidney complications. It has been assumed that Stx is released intracellularly after enterocyte invasion by S. dysenteriae1. However, there is little information about Stx distribution inside S. dysenteriae1-infected enterocytes. Here, we use intestinal epithelial T84 cells to characterize the trafficking of Stx delivered into the cytosol, in ways that mimic aspects of S. dysenteriae1 infection. We find that cytoplasmic Stx is transported into nucleoli. Stx nucleolar movement is carrier- and energy-dependent. Stx binding to the nucleoli of normal human enterocytes in vitro supports possible roles for nucleolar trafficking in toxin-induced intestinal pathology.