Represent p,0.05 and 0.0005; ns = not significant). Vero cells were incubated for 30 min at 37uC, with or without 10 mM DTT. Cells were cooled on ice, Ib (1 mg/ml EMEM) added, and all incubated together for 30 min at 4uC and subsequently 30 min at 37uC. Cells were lysed in Laemmli sample buffer, heated for 5 min at 95uC, and subjected to SDS-PAGE. Proteins were blotted onto nitrocellulose membrane subsequently blocked with a powdered milk solution. Cell-bound Ib was detected on the nitrocellulose with specific rabbit MedChemExpress [DTrp6]-LH-RH antibody against Ib, anti-rabbit horseradish-peroxidase conjugate, and the enhanced chemiluminescence (ECL) system. Purified Ib not added to cells was used as a control for the blot.Effect of DTT on Enzyme Activity of IaThe effect of DTT on ADP-ribosyltransferase activity of Ia was tested with Vero cell lysate as previously described by Heine et al. [59]. Ia (22 nM) was pre-treated for 30 min at 4uC with, or without, 10 or 50 mM DTT. Subsequently, Ia (2.2 nM final concentration) was applied to Vero lysate (40 mg total protein) containing 10 mM biotin-NAD+ with or without DTT. 
Controls consisted of lysate and biotin-NAD+ without Ia. Samples were incubated at 37uC for 15 min and the enzyme reaction stopped by adding Laemmli sample buffer plus heat (95uC) for 5 min. Following 12.5 SDS-PAGE, proteins were transferred by semidry blotting onto a nitrocellulose membrane and the biotinylated (i.e. ADP-ribosylated) G-actin detected by streptavidin-peroxidase and ECL reaction (GE Healthcare). 1662274 The intensity of biotinylated G-actin was measured by densitometry (Adobe Photoshop 7) and presented as mean 6 S.D. (n = 3). Statistical significance was determined by the student’s t-test.Inhibition of Iota Cytotoxicity with Anti-CD44 AntibodyVero cells were plated to confluency in EMEM containing 10 FBS and maintained in a humidified 37uC incubator. Cells were pre-treated with serial dilutions of an anti-CD44 monoclonal antibody (clone IM7 #553133; BD Pharmingen) for 30 min before the TA-02 addition of Ib and Ia (250 ng/ml each). A non-specific isotype antibody (125 mg/ml) was included as a control. Toxin activity was determined through the binding of phalloidin to Factin. After 4 h following toxin addition, cells were fixed using a 1:10 formalin solution for 1 h and permeabilized using 0.1 Triton-X100 in PBS. To visualize the F-actin cytoskeleton, cells were stained with Alexa-488 phalloidin (#A12379; Molecular Probes). Additional 1516647 staining was done with HoechstCD44 and Iota-Family Toxins(#H3570; Molecular Probes) and CellMask Deep Red (#H32721; Molecular Probes) to visualize the nucleus and cytoplasm, respectively. Images were acquired on a Discovery-1 high content imager (Molecular Devices) controlled by MetaXpress software. Integrated intensity values of phalloidin fluorescence represent the mean of nine fields +/2 standard deviation. Statistics were done by one way ANOVA with significant differences of 
p,0.05.Confocal microscopy was done with RPM cells (CD44+ vs CD442) incubated for 3 min at 37uC with Cy3-Ib (20 mg/ml), washed with PBS, and then mounted in mowiol. Dapi-stained nuclei are blue.Binding of Ib to CD44+ and CD442 CellsCytotoxicity of Clostridial Binary Toxins upon CD44+ and CD442 CellsHuman recurrent cutaneous melanoma cells (RPM) naturally devoid of CD44, and those transfected with CD44 (standard) encoding plasmid [24], were subsequently used with varying concentrations of iota-family or C2 toxins. Vero cells provided an addition.Represent p,0.05 and 0.0005; ns = not significant). Vero cells were incubated for 30 min at 37uC, with or without 10 mM DTT. Cells were cooled on ice, Ib (1 mg/ml EMEM) added, and all incubated together for 30 min at 4uC and subsequently 30 min at 37uC. Cells were lysed in Laemmli sample buffer, heated for 5 min at 95uC, and subjected to SDS-PAGE. Proteins were blotted onto nitrocellulose membrane subsequently blocked with a powdered milk solution. Cell-bound Ib was detected on the nitrocellulose with specific rabbit antibody against Ib, anti-rabbit horseradish-peroxidase conjugate, and the enhanced chemiluminescence (ECL) system. Purified Ib not added to cells was used as a control for the blot.Effect of DTT on Enzyme Activity of IaThe effect of DTT on ADP-ribosyltransferase activity of Ia was tested with Vero cell lysate as previously described by Heine et al. [59]. Ia (22 nM) was pre-treated for 30 min at 4uC with, or without, 10 or 50 mM DTT. Subsequently, Ia (2.2 nM final concentration) was applied to Vero lysate (40 mg total protein) containing 10 mM biotin-NAD+ with or without DTT. Controls consisted of lysate and biotin-NAD+ without Ia. Samples were incubated at 37uC for 15 min and the enzyme reaction stopped by adding Laemmli sample buffer plus heat (95uC) for 5 min. Following 12.5 SDS-PAGE, proteins were transferred by semidry blotting onto a nitrocellulose membrane and the biotinylated (i.e. ADP-ribosylated) G-actin detected by streptavidin-peroxidase and ECL reaction (GE Healthcare). 1662274 The intensity of biotinylated G-actin was measured by densitometry (Adobe Photoshop 7) and presented as mean 6 S.D. (n = 3). Statistical significance was determined by the student’s t-test.Inhibition of Iota Cytotoxicity with Anti-CD44 AntibodyVero cells were plated to confluency in EMEM containing 10 FBS and maintained in a humidified 37uC incubator. Cells were pre-treated with serial dilutions of an anti-CD44 monoclonal antibody (clone IM7 #553133; BD Pharmingen) for 30 min before the addition of Ib and Ia (250 ng/ml each). A non-specific isotype antibody (125 mg/ml) was included as a control. Toxin activity was determined through the binding of phalloidin to Factin. After 4 h following toxin addition, cells were fixed using a 1:10 formalin solution for 1 h and permeabilized using 0.1 Triton-X100 in PBS. To visualize the F-actin cytoskeleton, cells were stained with Alexa-488 phalloidin (#A12379; Molecular Probes). Additional 1516647 staining was done with HoechstCD44 and Iota-Family Toxins(#H3570; Molecular Probes) and CellMask Deep Red (#H32721; Molecular Probes) to visualize the nucleus and cytoplasm, respectively. Images were acquired on a Discovery-1 high content imager (Molecular Devices) controlled by MetaXpress software. Integrated intensity values of phalloidin fluorescence represent the mean of nine fields +/2 standard deviation. Statistics were done by one way ANOVA with significant differences of p,0.05.Confocal microscopy was done with RPM cells (CD44+ vs CD442) incubated for 3 min at 37uC with Cy3-Ib (20 mg/ml), washed with PBS, and then mounted in mowiol. Dapi-stained nuclei are blue.Binding of Ib to CD44+ and CD442 CellsCytotoxicity of Clostridial Binary Toxins upon CD44+ and CD442 CellsHuman recurrent cutaneous melanoma cells (RPM) naturally devoid of CD44, and those transfected with CD44 (standard) encoding plasmid [24], were subsequently used with varying concentrations of iota-family or C2 toxins. Vero cells provided an addition.