Development of a non-radiolabeled glucosyltransferase activity assay for C. difficile toxin A and B using ultra performance liquid chromatography

Abstract Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is the leading cause of gastroenteritis-associated death in the United States. The major virulent factors of C. difficile are toxin A (TcdA) and toxin B (TcdB). Toxicity is mediated by the glucosyltransferase domains on TcdA and TcdB wherein a glucose is transferred from UDP-glucose to Ras homolog family member A (RhoA) receptor. This modification results in disruption of critical cell signaling events. Vaccination against these toxins is considered the best way to combat the CDI. In order to produce non-toxic TcdA and TcdB antigens, their glucosyltransferase domains were genetically mutated to inactivate the toxin activity. We have developed a reverse phase ultra performance liquid chromatographic (RP-UPLC) method to measure this glucosyltransferase activity by separating RhoA and glucosylated RhoA. Glucosylated RhoA and RhoA have a retention time (RT) of 31.25 and 31.95 min. We determine for the first time the glucosyltransferase kinetics (K m and k cat ) of both full length TcdA and TcdB to RhoA and demonstrate that the genetically mutated TcdA and TcdB show no glucosyltransferase activity. Furthermore, two-dimensional electron microscopy (2D EM) data demonstrates that the overall global structures of mutated toxins do not change compared to native toxins.