Mechanism of activation of a major toxin involved in whooping cough

The CyaA protein is a toxin produced by the bacteria responsible for whooping cough. When it intoxicates target cells, CyaA binds to a molecule known as calmodulin, inducing the folding of a disordered region of the toxin, which leads to CyaA activation. This mechanism, which combines structural folding and enzyme activation of CyaA, is vital both to activate the toxin when it reaches its target cells and also to prevent its toxicity within the bacteria that produce it. These findings, based on extensive structural biology research, were published by scientists from the Institut Pasteur and the CNRS in PLOS Biology.

Find out more