Clostridium difficile toxin A elicits Ca(2+)-independent cytotoxic effects in cultured normal rat intestinal crypt cells

In rat intestinal crypt cells, Clostridium difficile toxin A induces (i) early cytoskeletal alterations involving the whole population and (ii) late effects in 30 to 40% of the cells, consisting mainly of surface blebbing and nuclear fragmentation. All these effects were Ca2+ independent and were not abolished by protein synthesis inhibitors.