T. Pfeuffer et al., LaXp180, a mammalian ActA-binding protein, identified with the yeast two-hybrid system, co-localizes with intracellular Listeria monocytogenes, CELL MICROB, 2(2), 2000, pp. 101-114
The Listeria monocytogenes surface protein ActA is an important virulence f
actor required for listerial intracellular movement by inducing actin polym
erization. The only host cell protein known that directly interacts with Ac
tA is the phosphoprotein VASP, which binds to the central proline-rich repe
at region of ActA. To identify additional ActA-binding proteins, we applied
the yeast two-hybrid system to search for mouse proteins that interact wit
h ActA. A mouse cDNA library was screened for ActA-interacting proteins (AI
Ps) using ActA from strain L. monocytogenes EGD as bait. Three different AI
Ps were identified, one of which was identical to the human protein LaXp180
(also called CC1). Binding of LaXp180 to ActA was also demonstrated in vit
ro using recombinant histidine-tagged LaXp180 and recombinant ActA. Using a
n anti-LaXp180 antibody and fluorescence microscopy, we showed that LaXp180
co-localizes with a subset of intracellular, ActA-expressing L. monocytoge
nes but was never detected on intracellularly growing but ActA-deficient mu
tants. Furthermore, LaXp180 binding to intracellular L. monocytogenes was a
symmetrical and mutually exclusive with F-actin polymerization on the bacte
rial surface. LaXp180 is a putative binding partner of stathmin, a protein
involved in signal transduction pathways and in the regulation of microtubu
le dynamics. Using immunofluorescence, we showed that stathmin co-localizes
with intracellular ActA-expressing L. monocytogenes.