The interaction of Ca2+ with the calmodulin-sensitive adenylate cyclase from Bordetella pertussis

Albumin, in the Presence of Calcium, Elicits a Massive Increase in Extracellular Bordetella Adenylate Cyclase Toxin

Pertussis (whooping cough), caused by Bordetella pertussis, is resurging in the United States and worldwide. Adenylate cyclase toxin (ACT) is a critical factor in establishing infection with B. pertussis and acts by specifically inhibiting the response of myeloid leukocytes to the pathogen. We report here that serum components, as discovered during growth in fetal bovine serum (FBS), elicit a robust increase in the amount of ACT, and ≥90% of this ACT is localized to the supernatant, unlike growth without FBS, in which ≥90% is associated with the bacterium. We have found that albumin, in the presence of physiological concentrations of calcium, acts specifically to enhance the amount of ACT and its localization to the supernatant. Respiratory secretions, which contain albumin, promote an increase in amount and localization of active ACT that is comparable to that elicited by serum and albumin. The response to albumin is not mediated through regulation of ACT at the transcriptional level or activation of the Bvg two-component system. As further illustration of the specificity of this phenomenon, serum collected from mice that lack albumin does not stimulate an increase in ACT. These data, demonstrating that albumin and calcium act synergistically in the host environment to increase production and release of ACT, strongly suggest that this phenomenon reflects a novel host-pathogen interaction that is central to infection with B. pertussis and other Bordetella species.

Biomineralization: Functions of calmodulin-like protein in the shell formation of pearl oyster

Calmodulin-like protein (CaLP) was believed to be involved in the shell formation of pearl oyster. However, no further study of this protein was ever performed. In this study, the in vitro crystallization experiment showed that CaLP can modify the morphology of calcite. In addition, aragonite crystals can be induced in the mixture of CaLP and a nacre protein (at 16 kDa), which was detected and purified from the EDTA-soluble matrix of nacre. These results agreed with that of immunohistological staining in which CaLP was detected not only in the organic layer sandwiched between nacre (aragonite) and the prismatic layer (calcite), but also around the prisms of the prismatic layer. Take together, we concluded that (1) CaLP, as a component of the organic layer, can induce the nucleation of aragonite through binding with the 16-kDa protein, and (2) CaLP may regulate the growth of calcite in the prismatic layer.

A direct pyrophosphatase-coupled assay provides new insights into the activation of the secreted adenylate cyclase from Bordetella pertussis by calmodulin

Continuous recording of the activity of recombinant adenylate cyclase (CyaA) of Bordetella pertussis (EC ) by conductimetric determination of enzyme-coupled pyrophosphate cleavage has enabled us to define a number of novel features of the activation of this enzyme by calmodulin and establish conditions under which valid activation data can be obtained. Activation either in the presence or absence of calcium is characterized by a concentration-dependent lag phase. The rate of formation and breakdown of the activated complex can be determined from an analysis of the lag phase kinetics and is in good agreement with thermodynamic data obtained by measuring the dependence of activation on calmodulin concentration, which show that calcium increases k(on) by about 30-fold. The rate of breakdown of the activated complex, formed either in the presence or absence of calcium, has been determined by dilution experiments and has been shown to be independent of the presence of calcium. The coupled assay is established as a rapid, convenient and safe method which should be readily applicable to the continuous assays of most other enzymes that catalyze reactions in which inorganic pyrophosphate is liberated.

Structural consequences of divalent metal binding by the adenylyl cyclase toxin of Bordetella pertussis

Adenylyl cyclase toxin of Bordetella pertussis has been shown by several investigators to require Ca(2+) for its actions on target cells, but little is known about the nature and specificity of divalent metal binding to this novel toxin. Calcium is the preferred divalent metal since toxic actions are markedly reduced in the presence of divalent species other than calcium. Mn(2+) EPR was used to quantitate and characterize divalent metal binding and revealed that the toxin contains approximately 40 divalent metal sites, consisting of at least one class of high-affinity sites that bind Mn(2+) with a K(D) of 0.05 to 0.35 microM and one or more classes of lower affinity sites. Water proton relaxation data indicate that approximately 30 of these sites are completely inaccessible to bulk solvent. Our observations, together with the sequence homology between adenylyl cyclase toxin and the alkaline protease of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, indicate that the formation of five beta-sheet helices within the repeat domain of the toxin upon binding Ca(2+) is required for cell intoxication.

Stimulation of Bordetella pertussis adenylate cyclase toxin intoxication by its hemolysin domain

The internalization of the N-terminal catalytic domain of Bordetella pertussis adenylate cyclase toxin (ACT) across the cytoplasmic membrane has been considered to occur independently from protein-protein interactions which can lead to oligomerization required for hemolytic activity by its C-terminal hemolysin domain. Here we report that when added in excess, this hemolysin domain stimulates the internalization, suggesting the involvement of protein-protein interactions in cell-invasive activity of ACT, as well as its hemolytic activity.

Apocalmodulin

Intracellular Ca2+ is normally maintained at submicromolar levels but increases during many forms of cellular stimulation. This increased Ca2+ binds to receptor proteins such as calmodulin (CaM) and alters the cell's metabolism and physiology. Calcium-CaM binds to target proteins and alters their function in such a way as to transduce the Ca2+ signal. Calcium-free or apocalmodulin (ApoCaM) binds to other proteins and has other specific effects. Apocalmodulin has roles in the cell that apparently do not require the ability to bind Ca2+ at all, and these roles appear to be essential for life. Apocalmodulin differs from Ca2+-CaM in its tertiary structure. It binds target proteins differently, utilizing different binding motifs such as the IQ motif and noncontiguous binding sites. Other kinds of binding potentially await discovery. The ApoCaM-binding proteins are a diverse group of at least 15 proteins including enzymes, actin-binding proteins, as well as cytoskeletal and other membrane proteins, including receptors and ion channels. Much of the cellular CaM is bound in a Ca2+-independent manner to membrane structures within the cell, and the proportion bound changes with cell growth and density, suggesting it may be a storage form. Apocalmodulin remains tightly bound to other proteins as subunits and probably hastens the response of these proteins to Ca2+. The overall picture that emerges is that CaM cycles between its Ca2+-bound and Ca2+-free states and in each state binds to different proteins and performs essential functions. Although much of the research focus has been on the roles of Ca2+-CaM, the roles of ApoCaM are equally vital but less well understood.

Purification and assay of cell-invasive form of calmodulin-sensitive adenylyl cyclase from Bordetella pertussis

An invasive form of the CaM-sensitive adenylyl cyclase from Bordetella pertussis can be isolated from bacterial culture supernatants. This isolation is achieved through the use of QAE-Sephadex anion-exchange chromatography. It has been demonstrated that the addition of exogenous Ca2+ to the anion-exchange gradient buffers will affect elution from the column and will thereby affect the isolation of invasive adenylyl cyclase. This is probably due to a Ca2(+)-dependent interaction of the catalytic subunit with another component in the culture supernatant. Two peaks of adenylyl cyclase activity are obtained. The Pk1 adenylyl cyclase preparation is able to cause significant increases in intracellular cAMP levels in animal cells. This increase occurs rapidly and in a dose-dependent manner in both N1E-115 mouse neuroblastoma cells and human erythrocytes. The Pk2 adenylyl cyclase has catalytic activity but is not cell invasive. This material can serve, therefore, as a control to ensure that the cAMP which is measured is, indeed, intracellular. A second control is to add exogenous CaM to the Pk1 adenylyl cyclase preparation. The 45-kDa catalytic subunit-CaM complex is not cell invasive. Although the mechanism for membrane translocation of the adenylyl cyclase is unknown, there is evidence that the adenylyl cyclase enters animal cells by a mechanism distinct from receptor-mediated endocytosis. Calmodulin-sensitive adenylyl cyclase activity can be removed from preparations of the adenylyl cyclase that have been subjected to SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. This property of the enzyme has enabled purification of the catalytic subunit to apparent homogeneity. The purified catalytic subunit from culture supernatants has a predicted molecular weight of 45,000. This polypeptide interacts directly with Ca2+ and this interaction may be important for its invasion into animal cells. Finally, the technique for purifying the catalytic subunit by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis may prove useful in studying the interaction of the adenylyl cyclase with other components produced by the bacteria, as well as the interaction of the enzyme with eukaryotic target cells.

Evidence that the adenylate cyclase secreted from Bordetella pertussis does not enter animal cells by receptor-mediated endocytosis

Bordetella pertussis, the pathogen responsible for whooping cough, produces a calmodulin-sensitive adenylate cyclase. Several investigators have shown that the partially purified adenylate cyclase is capable of entering animal cells and elevating intracellular cAMP levels (Confer and Eaton: Science 217:948-950, 1982; Shattuck and Storm: Biochemistry 24:6323-6328, 1985). However, the mechanism for entry of the catalytic subunit of this adenylate cyclase into animal cells is unknown. It has been reported that the B. pertussis adenylate cyclase extracted from bacterial cells with urea does not enter animal cells by receptor-mediated endocytosis. There is, in addition to the cell associated form of the B. pertussis adenylate cyclase, a cell-invasive form of the enzyme secreted into the bacterial culture media. The properties of the cell-associated and secreted enzymes are significantly different (Masure and Storm: Biochemistry 28:438-442, 1989). In this study, we report evidence that the secreted form of the B. pertussis adenylate cyclase enters animal cells by a mechanism distinct from receptor-mediated endocytosis.

Secretion of the Bordetella pertussis adenylate cyclase from Escherichia coli containing the hemolysin operon

The extracellular calmodulin-sensitive adenylate cyclase produced by Bordetella pertussis is synthesized as a 215-kDa precursor. This polypeptide is transported to the outer membrane of the bacteria where it is proteolytically processed to a 45-kDa catalytic subunit which is released into the culture supernatant [Masure, H.R., & Storm, D.R. (1989) biochemistry 28, 438-442]. The gene encoding this enzyme, cyaA, is part of the cya operon that also includes the genes cyaB, cyaD, and cyaE. A comparison of the predicted amino acid sequences encoded by cyaA, cyaB, and cyaD with the amino acid sequences encoded by hlyA, hlyB, and hlyD genes from the hemolysin (hly) operon from Escherichia coli shows a large degree of sequence similarity [Glaser, P., Sakamoto, H., Bellalou, J., Ullmann, A., & Danchin, A. (1988) EMBO J. 7, 3997-4004]. Complementation studies have shown that HlyB and HlyD are responsible for the secretion of HlyA (hemolysin) from E. coli. The signal sequence responsible for secretion of hemolysin has been shown to reside in its C-terminal 27 amino acids. Similarly, CyaB, CyaD, and CyaE are required for the secretion of CyaA from Bordetella pertussis. We placed the cyaA gene and a truncated cyaA gene that lacks the nucleotides that code for a putative C-terminal secretory signal sequence under the control of the lac promoter in the plasmid pUC-19. These plasmids were transformed into strains of E. coli which contained the hly operon. The truncated cyaA gene product, lacking the putative signal sequence, was not secreted but accumulated inside the cell.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Invasive adenylate cyclase toxin of Bordetella pertussis

Bordetella pertussis produces an adenylate cyclase which is a toxin. The enzyme penetrates eukaryotic cells and, upon activation by host calmodulin, generates high levels of intracellular cAMP; as a result bactericidal functions of immune effector cells are considerably impaired. The toxin is composed of a single polypeptide that possesses both the catalytic and the toxic functions. It penetrates the host cell directly from the plasma membrane and is concomitantly inactivated by a proteolytic degradation.

Isolation of a protein fraction from Bordetella pertussis that facilitates entry of the calmodulin-sensitive adenylate cyclase into animal cells

Bordetella pertussis, the pathogen responsible for whooping cough, releases a soluble calmodulin-sensitive adenylate cyclase into its culture medium. Several investigators have shown that the partially purified adenylate cyclase is capable of entering animal cells and elevating intracellular cAMP levels [Confer, D. L., & Eaton, J. W. (1982) Science 217, 948-950; Shattuck, R. L., & Storm, D. R. (1985) Biochemistry 24,6323-6328]. However, the mechanism for entry of the catalytic subunit of the adenylate cyclase into animal cells is unknown. Recently, it was determined that the purified catalytic subunit of the enzyme is unable to enter animal cells [Masure, H. R., Oldenburg, D. J., Donovan, M. G., Shattuck, R. L., & Storm, D. R. (1988) J. Biol. Chem. 263, 6933-6940]. On the basis of these data and other observations, we hypothesized that the culture medium of B. pertussis contains one or more additional polypeptides which facilitate entry of the adenylate cyclase catalytic subunit into animal cells. In this study, we report that a cell-invasive preparation of B. pertussis adenylate cyclase was rendered noninvasive after passage through a wheat germ lectin-agarose column. A fraction was eluted from the wheat germ lectin-agarose column with N-acetyl-D-glucosamine. This fraction, when combined with the noninvasive adenylate cyclase, was able to restore the ability of the adenylate cyclase preparation to enter neuroblastoma cells and increase intracellular cAMP levels. Furthermore, the fraction eluted from the wheat germ lectin-agarose column was found to be trypsin and chymotrypsin sensitive, suggesting that this material was proteinaceous.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)