Pertussis toxin(PTx), an important toxin that produced by
Bordetella pertussis, is an important pathogenic factor in the pathogenesis of
whooping cough.The previous studies have showed that PTx interacting
proteins vary distinctly in size, ranging from the 43 kD
surface protein of
human lymphocyte to the 200 kD
surface protein of
insulin secreting cells.PTx has been shown to interact with N-linked
oligosaccharides on the surface of host
cells,
sialoglycoprotein-like factors,
glycoproteins such as
haptoglobin,
fetuin, G D1a
glycolipids.Especially, the interaction of PTx with its receptor Gi
protein can result in increased intracellular cAMP level, which
will lead to multiple physiological responses.However, the current limited
understanding of other PTx modified
substrates and interacting
proteins in
cells has seriously hindered our
understanding on the mechanism that PTx regulates other signaling pathways and physiological functions of the host.