According to new doctoral research, a 3-component toxin produced by Bacillus cereus is a probable environmental cause of wellness-damaging food poisoning and diarrhoea, and this discovery can reduce the detected risk to your wellbeing, as it can lead to the enhancement of food safety.
The toxin is produced by this bacteria strain and it perforates and kills cells, as toxins are produced by bacteria in order to defend themselves and to gain nourishment. The toxins make holes in the cell walls, which causes leakages and swelling and in turn leads to the disintegration of the cells. This toxin is extremely rare as it has 3 proteins or components, whereas most pore-forming toxins usually consist of 1 protein, and, less often, 2.
Bacillus cereus produces 2 3-component toxins, one of which is known as Nhe and is believed to be the major food poisoning toxin produced by B. cereus. It is found in all B. cereus strains that cause food poisoning and in nearly all other B. cereus strains. The three proteins in the Nhe toxin are called NheA, NheB and NheC, and researcher Danh Phung was the first to show that the Nhe proteins’ structures resemble pores, as well as discovering the specific crystalline structure of one of the proteins in the Nhe toxin: NheA.
It is still not fully understood how the Nhe toxin works, but Phung showed that the supposed most important protein in this toxin, NheB, uses an artificial cell membrane, like a lipid, to form pore-like structures of itself and produce large amounts of molecules. Phung’s findings show that before the pore-forming process begins and involves the other Nhe proteins, the NheB protein undergoes structural changes.
On the 18th of December 2012, M.Sc. Danh Phung defended her doctoral research. The thesis was titled ‘Structure and mode of action on the Nhe enterotoxin from Bacillus cereus’ and she presented it at the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science. In collaboration with the Sir Hans Krebs Institute at the University of Sheffield in the UK, Danh Phung carried out her doctoral research at the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science.
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