Structural and functional characterisation of two proteolytic fragments of the bacterial protein toxin, pneumolysin

Proteolytic cleavage of the bacterial protein toxin pneumolysin with protease It creates two fragments of 37 and 15 kDa, This paper describes the purification of these two fragments and their subsequent physical and biological characterisation, The larger fragment is directly involved in the cytolytic mechanism of this pore-forming protein,,ia membrane binding and self-association. The smaller fragment lacks ordered structure or discernible activity. (C) 1997 Federation of European Biochemical Societies.