Mintzeko-kolesterola: bakterio-toxinen aspaldiko laguna

Abstract

Adenylate Cyclase Toxin (ACT) is one of the main virulence factors secreted by Bordetella pertussis, the bacterium causative of whooping cough. It intoxicates and forms pores in the plasma membrane of macrophages, debilitating host defences. The first and last step for these toxin activities are binding to the plasma membrane of target cells and conversion into membrane-integrated proteins. However, the molecular determinants in the protein or the target membrane that govern this conversion to an active toxin form are fully unknown. Here, we show that ACT specifically interacts with membrane cholesterol, and find in two membrane-interacting domains, four cholesterol-binding motifs that are essential for both activities.