Scientific Publications by FDA Staff

J Bacteriol 2008 Nov;190(21):7285-90

Stabilization of the Pertussis Toxin Secretion Apparatus by the C-terminus of PtlD.

Verma A, Cheung AM, Burns DL

Pertussis toxin (PT) is secreted from Bordetella pertussis by a type IV secretion system, known as the Ptl transporter, that comprises nine different proteins, PtlA-PtlI. In this study, we found that PtlD is required for the stability of three Ptl proteins, PtlE, PtlF, and PtlH. A region limited to the C-terminal 72 amino acids of PtlD (amino acids 392-463) was sufficient for maintaining the stability of PtlE, PtlF, and PtlH, although this region was not sufficient to support secretion of the toxin. Further analysis demonstrated that a stretch of 10 amino acids of the C-terminal end of PtlD (amino acids 425-434) contributes to transporter stability.