En, JunichiroKitamoto, ShoKawashima, AkiraYonezawa, SuguruKishi, YoshitoIshii, NorihisaGoto, Masamichi2017-11-212017En, Junichiro, Sho Kitamoto, Akira Kawashima, Suguru Yonezawa, Yoshito Kishi, Norihisa Ishii, and Masamichi Goto. 2017. “Mycolactone cytotoxicity in Schwann cells could explain nerve damage in Buruli ulcer.” PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases 11 (8): e0005834. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0005834. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0005834.http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:34375352Buruli ulcer is a chronic painless skin disease caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans. The local nerve damage induced by M. ulcerans invasion is similar to the nerve damage evoked by the injection of mycolactone in a Buruli ulcer mouse model. In order to elucidate the mechanism of this nerve damage, we tested and compared the cytotoxic effect of synthetic mycolactone A/B on cultured Schwann cells, fibroblasts and macrophages. Mycolactone induced much higher cell death and apoptosis in Schwann cell line SW10 than in fibroblast line L929. These results suggest that mycolactone is a key substance in the production of nerve damage of Buruli ulcer.en-USBiology and Life SciencesCell BiologyCellular TypesAnimal CellsGlial CellsMacroglial CellsSchwann CellsConnective Tissue CellsFibroblastsAnatomyBiological TissueConnective TissueMedicine and Health SciencesCell ProcessesCell DeathApoptosisBlood CellsWhite Blood CellsMacrophagesImmune CellsImmunologyInfectious DiseasesBacterial DiseasesBuruli UlcerTropical DiseasesNeglected Tropical DiseasesToxicologyCytotoxicityPathology and Laboratory MedicineExperimental Organism SystemsModel OrganismsMouse ModelsAnimal ModelsEpithelial CellsEndothelial CellsEpitheliumJournal Article2017-11-2110.1371/journal.pntd.0005834