Effect of haemin on the enterotoxin production of Campylobacter jejuni

When Campylobacter jejuni was exposed to iron compounds, alterations in enterotoxin production were monitored by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blotting. By ELISA, treatment with 10 μM haemin increased the ganglioside binding activity of the toxin in the extracellular fraction but not in the intracellular fraction. By Western blotting, a 68 kD subunit of the enterotoxin was observed to increase in concentration. The results suggest that haemin may have a positive regulation effect on enterotoxin maturation when released from bacterial cells.