Mechanisms of immunomodulatory activity of Cholera toxin

Abstract

Cholera toxin (CT), a major enterotoxin produced by Vibrio cholerae, is a potent mucosal adjuvant that promotes type 2 T helper cell (Th2) responses to coadministered foreign antigen. However, the mechanisms involved in the regulation of immune responses by CT are not known. This study examined the ability of CT to modulate the maturation and activation of bone marrow derived dendritic cells (DCs). It also addressed the hypothesis that the adjuvant activity of CT reflects its ability to activate T cells as well as DCs.