Inerolysin and vaginolysin, the cytolysins implicated in vaginal dysbiosis, differently impair molecular integrity of phospholipid membranes.

ABSTRACT: The pore-forming toxins, inerolysin (INY) and vaginolysin (VLY), produced by vaginal bacteria Lactobacillus iners and Gardnerella vaginalis were studied using the artificial cholesterol-rich tethered bilayer membranes (tBLMs) by electrochemical techniques. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) of tBLMs attested for the toxin-induced impairment of the integrity of phospholipid membranes. This observation was in line with the atomic force microscopy data demonstrating formation of oligomeric protein assemblies in tBLMs. These assemblies exhibited different morphologies: VLY mostly formed complete rings, whereas INY produced arciform structures. We found that both EIS (membrane damage) and the surface plasmon resonance (protein binding) data obtained on tBLMs are in-line with the d

SUBMITTER: Ragaliauskas T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6650466 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature