| Summary: | (English) 4 SUMMARY (English) The first part of this PhD. thesis deals with molecular mechanism of action of the adenylate cyclase toxin (CyaA), a key virulence factor of the whooping cough agent Bordetella pertussis. CyaA belongs to the family of RTX (Repeat-in-ToXin) proteins secreted by Gram-negative bacteria and primarily targets myeloid phagocytes, expressing the CD11b/CD18 integrin receptor (also known as αMβ2, CR3 or Mac-1). Upon binding, CyaA permeabilizes cell membranes by forming small cation-selective pores, and subverts cellular signaling by delivering into host cells an adenylate cyclase (AC) enzyme that converts ATP to cAMP. Elevation of the cytosolic cAMP levels by CyaA then knocks down bactericidal functions of host innate immunity. CyaA is unique among other enzymatically active toxins in its capacity to penetrate cells directly from cell surface across the cytoplasmic membrane, without the need for endocytosis. Penetrating activity of CyaA depends on plasma membrane potential and on an intact, acylated and calcium-loaded RTX cytolysin moiety. By examining a set of 18 CyaA constructs that bear overlapping deletions within AC domain and a CD8+ OVA T-cell epitope tag, we showed that the first 371 amino-terminal residues are dispensable for the CyaA capacity to deliver a passenger OVA...
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