BORDETELLA-PERTUSSIS ADENYLATE-CYCLASE - A TOXIN WITH MULTIPLE TALENTS

The adenylate cyclase toxin of Bordetella pertussis is a secreted mult ifunctional protein, endowed with calmodulin-activated catalytic, haem olytic and cytotoxic activities. Residues and domains involved in diff erent functions have been localized and several permissive sites, able to accomodate insertion of peptides without impairing the different f unctions of the toxin, have been identified. A 400-bp region in the pr omoter upstream region of the cyaA gene, encoding the toxin, has been defined as the target of transcriptional activation.