Modulation of innate and adaptive immune responses by adenylate cyclase toxin from Bordetella pertussis

Abstract

CyaA belongs to the repeat-in-toxin (RTX) family of pore-forming toxins that require posttranslational acyiation to lyse eukaryotic cells. While it was known that CyaA binds to a variety of cell types, catalyses the generation of intracellular cAMP and inhibits phagocytic cell functions, the influence of CyaA on the immune response was not fully understood. In this study, the modulation of innate and adaptive immune responses by CyaA was investigated. The study of pathogen-derived molecules is complicated by co-purification of molecules that are themselves immunomodulatory. Similar to RTX toxins the hydrophobic nature of CyaA results in tight binding o f lipopolysaccharide (LPS) making it difficult to purify CyaA free of LPS.