Effect of heptakis (2,6-O-dimethyl) beta-cyclodextrin on the production of pertussis toxin by Bordetella pertussis

The effect of heptakis (2,6-O-dimethyl) beta-cyclodextrin (Me beta CD) on the production of pertussis toxin was evaluated. The addition of Me beta CD to the medium stimulated cell growth and pertussis toxin production. Me beta CD enhanced pertussis toxin production 100 times more in synthetic media, such as Stainer-Scholte medium (D. W. Stainer and M. J. Scholte, J. Gen. Microbiol. 63:211-220), than in Me beta CD-free medium in 2-day shake cultures. Maximum production of pertussis toxin was estimated as 50 mg of protein per liter of culture broth both by in vitro and in vivo assays. Purified toxin was demonstrated to be biochemically and biologically identical to the toxin produced in Me beta CD-free static cultures.