Toxin ADP-ribosyltransferase Research Articles

Characterization of mammalian ADP-ribosylation cycles

NAD: arginine ADP-ribosyltransferases catalyze the transfer of the ADP-ribose moiety from NAD to an arginine in an acceptor protein, whereas ADP-ribosylarginine hydrolases remove ADP-ribose, regenerating free arginine and completing an ADP-ribosylation cycle. A family of four mono-ADP-ribosyltransferases was isolated and characterized from turkey erythrocytes. Transferases from rabbit and human skeletal muscle were cloned. The muscle transferases are glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored proteins and highly conserved across mammalian species. The rat T cell alloantigen RT6.2 has significant amino acid sequence identity to the muscle ADP-ribosyltransferase. Mammalian cells transformed with the RT6.2 coding region cDNA expressed NAD glycohydrolase activity. Sequences of RT6.2, rabbit muscle transferase and several of the bacterial toxin ADP-ribosyltransferases contain regions of amino acid similarity which, in the bacterial toxin ADP-ribosyltransferases, from the NAD-binding and active-site domains. ADP-ribosylarginine hydrolase, initially purified from turkey erythrocytes, was cloned from rat, mouse, and human brain. Deduced amino acid sequences of the rat and mouse hydrolases were 94% identical with five conserved cysteines whereas the human hydrolase sequence was 83% identical to that of the rat, with four conserved cysteines. It is unclear how an intracellular hydrolase acts in concert with a surface ADP-ribosyltransferase.

Activation of rat brain phospholipase D by ADP-ribosylation factors 1,5, and 6: separation of ADP-ribosylation factor-dependent and oleate-dependent enzymes.

Two major forms of phospholipase D (PLD) activity, solubilized from rat brain membranes with Triton X-100, were separated by HPLC on a heparin-5PW column with buffer containing octyl glucoside. One form was completely dependent on sodium oleate for activity. The other, which was dramatically activated by the addition of ADP-ribosylation factor (ARF) 1 and guanine 5' [gamma-thio]triphosphate, required the presence of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate in the phosphatidylcholine substrate for demonstration of activity, as described by others. Oleate-dependent activity was unaffected by guanine 5' [gamma-thio]triphosphate, or phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate. Both sodium oleate-and ARF-dependent activities catalyzed transphosphatidylation, thus identifying them as PLDs. ARF-dependent PLD was activated by recombinant ARF5 (class II) and ARF6 (class III), as well as ARF1 (class I). Myristoylated recombinant ARFs were more effective than their nonmyristoylated counterparts. ARFs were originally identified as activators of cholera toxin ADP-ribosyltransferase activity. The effects of recombinant ARF proteins from the three classes on cholera toxin activity (assayed under conditions identical to those used to assay PLD activity) did not, however, correlate with those on PLD, consistent with the notion that different aspects of ARF structure are involved in the two functions.

Identification of a brefeldin A-insensitive guanine nucleotide-exchange protein for ADP-ribosylation factor in bovine brain.

ADP-ribosylation factors (ARFs) are approximately 20-kDa guanine nucleotide-binding proteins that participate in vesicular transport in the Golgi and other intracellular compartments and stimulate cholera toxin ADP-ribosyltransferase activity. ARFs are active in the GTP-bound form; hydrolysis of bound GTP to GDP, possibly with the assistance of a GTP hydrolysis (GTPase)-activating protein results in inactivation. Exchange of GDP for GTP and reactivation were shown by other workers to be enhanced by Golgi membranes in a brefeldin A-sensitive reaction, leading to the proposal that the guanine nucleotide-exchange protein (GEP) was a target of brefeldin A. In the studies reported here, a soluble GEP was partially purified from bovine brain. Exchange of nucleotide on ARFs 1 and 3, based on increased ARF activity in a toxin assay and stimulation of binding of guanosine 5'-[gamma-[35S]thio]triphosphate, was dependent on phospholipids, with phosphatidylserine being more effective than cardiolipin. GEP appeared to increase the rate of nucleotide exchange but did not affect the affinity of ARF for GTP. Whereas the crude GEP had a size of approximately 700 kDa, the partially purified GEP behaved on Ultrogel AcA 54 as a protein of 60 kDa. With purification, the GEP activity became insensitive to brefeldin A, consistent with the conclusion that, in contrast to earlier inferences, the exchange protein is not itself the target of brefeldin A.

Effect of ADP-ribosylation factor amino-terminal deletions on its GTP-dependent stimulation of cholera toxin activity

It has been proposed that the amino-terminal domain of ADP-ribosylation factor (ARF) is critical for its stimulation of cholera toxin ADP-ribosyltransferase activity. In this study, recombinant ARF1 (rARF1), r delta 13ARF1 (recombinant ARF1 lacking the first 13 amino acids) and rPKA14ARF1 (recombinant ARF1 in which the first 14 amino acids were replaced by the first 7 amino acids of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit) were used to assess the effect of the amino terminus on the ability of ARF to enhance ADP-ribosylation of agmatine by the cholera toxin A subunit. The GTP-dependent ARF activities of r delta 13ARF1 and rPKA14ARF1 were similar to that of rARF1, whereas the GTP requirement for half-maximal activation of cholera toxin A, was somewhat higher for rARF1 than it was for r delta 13ARF1 and rPKA14ARF1. These results are consistent with the view that the amino terminus of ARF1 is not critical for its action as a GTP-dependent activator of cholera toxin.

ADP-ribosylation of myelin basic protein and inhibition of phospholipid vesicle aggregation.

Four isoforms of myelin basic protein (MBP) from chicken brain were ADP-ribosylated by chicken heterophil ADP-ribosyltransferase. The 21-kD isoform was the most preferential substrate of this transferase. With this isoform, the Km values were estimated to be 330 mumol/l for NAD and 30 mumol/l for MBP, and the optimal pH for ADP-ribosylation was 8.5. The stoichiometry of ADP-ribose incorporation into 21-kD MBP was 3.5 mol of ADP-ribose/mol MBP. We found the inhibition of ADP-ribosylation of MBP by hydroxylamine and L-arginine indicating that this modification was likely to be mediated by arginine residues. Proteolytic peptide maps of ADP-ribosylated MBP by chicken ADP-ribosyltransferase and cholera toxin showed partially different radio active bands. When 21-kD MBP was ADP-ribosylated by chicken transferase, the potential for phospholipid vesicle aggregation was reduced in proportion of the degree of ADP-ribosylation. The possibility that ADP-ribosylation of MBP may control stabilization of myelin through regulation of its affinity for phospholipid in vivo would need to be considered.

P-525 - Inhibitory effect of botulinum toxin ADP-ribosyltransferase C3 on β-hexosaminidase secretion from streptolysin-O-permeabilized rat basophilic leukemia (RBL-2H3) cells.

P-525 - Inhibitory effect of botulinum toxin ADP-ribosyltransferase C3 on β-hexosaminidase secretion from streptolysin-O-permeabilized rat basophilic leukemia (RBL-2H3) cells.

Common structure of the catalytic sites of mammalian and bacterial toxin ADP-ribosyltransferases.

The amino acid sequences of several bacterial toxin ADP-ribosyltransferases, rabbit skeletal muscle transferases, and RT6.2, a rat T-cell NAD glycohydrolase, contain three separate regions of similarity, which can be aligned. Region I contains a critical histidine or arginine residue, region II, a group of closely spaced aromatic amino acids, and region III, an active-site glutamate which is at times seen as part of an acidic amino acid-rich sequence. In some of the bacterial ADP-ribosyltransferases, the nicotinamide moiety of NAD has been photo-crosslinked to this glutamate, consistent with its position in the active site. The similarities within these three regions, despite an absence of overall sequence similarity among the several transferases, are consistent with a common structure involved in NAD binding and ADP-ribose transfer.

ARD 1, a 64-kDa guanine nucleotide-binding protein with a carboxyl-terminal ADP-ribosylation factor domain.

Clones referred to as ARD 1 were isolated from human and rat cDNA libraries. ARD 1 genes encode a putative 64-kDa protein that contains an 18-kDa ADP-ribosylation factor (ARF) domain at the carboxyl terminus and is much larger than the other monomeric approximately 20-kDa guanine nucleotide-binding ARF proteins thus far identified. ARD 1 mRNAs of 3.7 and 4.1 kilobases were detected in all rat tissues as well as in mouse and rabbit brain, human fibroblasts, and human neuroblastoma cells but not in HL-60 cells. Based on sequence identities, ARD 1 is highly conserved between rat and human. The ARF domain of ARD 1 contains the consensus sequences believed to be involved in guanine nucleotide binding, which are conserved in the ARFs and other GTP-binding proteins. Recombinant ARD 1 or the ARF domain of ARD 1, which lacks the 15 amino acids corresponding to the amino-terminal regions of ARFs stimulated, in a GTP-dependent manner, cholera toxin ADP-ribosyltransferase activity in the presence of 0.3% Tween 20. It had no effect in the presence of SDS, dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine/cholate, or cardiolipin. These observations are consistent with the conclusion that the amino-terminal region of ARF proteins is not required for activation of cholera toxin. In addition, the characteristic features of ARF proteins may be found as domains of larger mammalian proteins.

Effect of myristoylation on GTP-dependent binding of ADP-ribosylation factor to Golgi.

ADP-ribosylation factors (ARFs), a family of approximately 20-kDa guanine nucleotide-binding proteins that activate cholera toxin ADP-ribosyltransferase in vitro, have been implicated in intracellular protein trafficking and are thought to cycle between cytosolic and membrane compartments. Although isolated predominantly as soluble proteins, ARFs associate with membranes and phospholipids in a GTP-dependent manner. In contrast to other small GTP-binding proteins, ARFs are NH2 terminally myristoylated. Using a bacterial expression system, recombinant myristoylated and non-myristoylated human ARF5 were produced to investigate the role of myristoylation in its association with Golgi. The recombinant ARFs (myristoylated and non-myristoylated) exhibited similar biochemical activity as measured by GTP binding and in vitro activation of cholera toxin. Myristoylated ARF5, however, demonstrated a temperature- and GTP-dependent association with Golgi membranes, whereas non-myristoylated ARF did not bind to Golgi under any of the experimental conditions. These data indicate that myristoylation is necessary, although not sufficient, for membrane attachment, but is not necessary for activation of cholera toxin.

Interaction of ADP-ribosylation factor with Escherichia coli enterotoxin that contains an inactivating lysine 112 substitution.

Cholera toxin and Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin (LT) exert their effects on cells through ADP-ribosylation of guanine nucleotide-binding proteins. Both toxins consist of one A subunit, which is an ADP-ribosyltransferase, and five B (or binding) subunits. Their enzymatic activities are latent; activation requires reduction and proteolysis, resulting in a catalytically active A1 protein and a much smaller A2 protein. These ADP-ribosyltransferases are activated by GTP-dependent 20-kDa ADP-ribosylation factors or ARFs. To determine if proteolysis plus reduction is required for appearance of the ARF allosteric site as well as for catalytic activity, an inactive mutant of LT, LT(E112K), with replacement of glutamate by lysine at position 112 of its A subunit, was utilized as a competitor in cholera toxin ADP-ribosyltransferase assays containing limiting amounts of ARF. LT(E112K) required trypsinization and reduction to become a potent, concentration-dependent inhibitor. Inhibition was reversed by increasing concentrations of ARF. Reduction or trypsinization alone did not generate an inhibitory form of LT(E112K). These studies are consistent with the conclusion that the ARF site is not expressed in the latent toxin. Both trypsinization and reduction are required for expression of a functional ARF binding site as well as for catalytic activity.

Regulation of ADP-ribosylation factor (ARF) expression. Cross-species conservation of the developmental and tissue-specific alternative polyadenylation of ARF 4 mRNA.

ADP-ribosylation factors (ARFs), approximately 20-kDa guanine nucleotide-binding proteins, are involved in protein trafficking and enhance cholera toxin ADP-ribosyltransferase activity. Expression of six ARF genes was examined in mammalian tissues; only ARF 4 mRNA was detected in rat testis in forms considerably shorter than those in other tissues. Testis-specific expression of short forms of ARF 4 mRNA was observed in several mammalian species. On Northern analysis of the developmental expression of rat ARF 4 mRNA, appearance of the shorter species was consistent with its involvement in a late stage of spermatogenesis. Sequences of products of rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE-polymerase chain reaction) of rat ARF 4 mRNA revealed that different mRNAs resulted from the use of three polyadenylation signals, one AUUAAA and two AAUAAA. Sequences of 3'-untranslated regions of rat and human ARF 4 mRNA were very similar with identical polyadenylation signals at similar positions. Of the ARF 4 mRNAs identified by RACE-PCR, with sizes of 1.1, 1.3, and 1.8 kb, the 1.1-kb mRNA was predominant in adult testis. By in situ hybridization, the 1.1-kb mRNA was identified primarily in mature sperm, consistent with the developmental studies. Shorter mRNAs, thought to be more stable, may compensate for cessation of transcription at late stages of spermatogenesis.

Effects of phospholipid and GTP on recombinant ADP-ribosylation factors (ARFs). Molecular basis for differences in requirements for activity of mammalian ARFs.

ADP-ribosylation factors (ARFs) are highly conserved approximately 20-kDa guanine nucleotide-binding proteins that were first identified based on their ability to stimulate the cholera toxin-catalyzed ADP-ribosylation of Gs alpha and thus activate adenylyl cyclase. Proteins with ARF activity have been characterized from different mammalian tissues and exhibited different requirements for activity, stability, and phospholipid. Based on molecular cloning and mRNA distribution, at least six mammalian ARFs, which fall into three classes, have been identified. To test whether individual ARFs might have different requirements for optimal activity, as judged by their ability to enhance cholera toxin ADP-ribosyltransferase activity, four ARFs from classes I, II, and III were produced as recombinant proteins in Escherichia coli and characterized. Recombinant bovine ARF 2 (rARF 2) and human ARF 3 (rARF 3) (class I), human ARF 5 (rARF 5, class II), and human ARF 6 (rARF 6, class III) differed in the effects of phospholipid and detergent on their ability to enhance cholera toxin activity; rARFs 2, 3, and 5 required dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) and cholate, whereas rARF 6 did not require phospholipid/detergent for activity. Further characterization of two of the more divergent ARFs (ARFs 2 and 6) showed that both exhibited guanosine 5'-O-(3-thio)triphosphate binding which was enhanced by DMPC/cholate. In the transferase assay, rARF 2 required approximately 4 microM GTP for half-maximal stimulation of toxin activity, whereas rARF 6 required 0.05 microM GTP. rARF 6 exhibited a delay in activation of toxin not detected with rARF 2 that may be related to a requirement for guanine nucleotide exchange and/or GTP binding. These findings are consistent with the conclusion that the highly conserved members of the ARF family have different requirements for optimal activity.

Proteolytic processing of the mosquitocidal toxin from Bacillus sphaericus SSII-1.

The 97-kDa protein Mtx21, derived from the 100-kDa mosquitocidal protein (Mtx) from Bacillus sphaericus SSII-1 by the deletion of the putative signal sequence, was expressed as a fusion protein with glutathione S-transferase in Escherichia coli, and the fusion protein was purified by affinity chromatography. The fusion protein bound to glutathione agarose was cleaved with thrombin to release the Mtx21 protein. The 97-kDa Mtx21 protein was found to be toxic to Culex quinquefasciatus larvae with a 50% lethal concentration of 15 ng/ml. Treating Mtx21 with crude mosquito larval gut extracts gave rise to two major peptides of 70 and 27 kDa. Treating the 97-kDa Mtx21 protein with trysin also gave rise to a similar proteolytic cleavage pattern. N-terminal sequencing showed that the 27-kDa peptide was derived from the N-terminal region of the 97-kDa protein and that the 70-kDa protein was from the C-terminal region of the 97-kDa protein. The 27-kDa peptide has all the previously identified regions of homology with the catalytic peptides of the ADP-ribosyltransferase toxins, such as pertussis toxin S1 peptide, while the 70-kDa peptide has three internal regions of homology.

Reversion of recombinant toxoids: mutations in diphtheria toxin that partially compensate for active-site deletions.

Deleting an important active-site residue of diphtheria toxin, glutamic acid-148, reduces the toxin's ADP-ribosyltransferase activity by a factor of greater than 10(4). We considered using this mutation to construct a recombinant toxoid for expression by live attenuated vaccines and explored second-site mutations that might cause reversion. Activity was partially restored by substituting glutamic acid for valine-147 or by extending the deletion by five residues toward the NH2 terminus, thereby placing glutamic acid-142 immediately adjacent to tyrosine-149. In both mutants the indicated glutamic acid may occupy a spatial locus similar to that of glutamic acid-148 in the unmutated protein. Simply deleting a crucial residue does not, therefore, provide confidence that a second-site mutation could not readily restore activity to a toxoid.

Detection of antibodies inhibiting the ADP-ribosyltransferase activity of pertussis toxin in human serum.

Bordetella pertussis produces a protein virulence factor termed pertussis toxin. Many candidate pertussis vaccines are based on the rationale that an immune response that neutralizes the virulence activities of this toxin, which are thought to arise from its catalytic ADP-ribosyltransferase activity, would be beneficial. The report describes two methods that quantify the inhibition of this activity by human serum. One, termed a direct assay, involves an initial incubation of toxin with serum, a second incubation that activates the toxin, and a third incubation that measures the ADP-ribosyltransferase activity of the mixture. The other assay, termed a plate assay, involves immobilization of the toxin, exposure of the immobilized toxin to serum and washing of the plate, and then activation and assay of the toxin's ADP-ribosyltransferase activity. The plate assay may be more selective than the direct assay in terms of identifying antibodies that neutralize the toxin in vivo. Sera from controls, selected patients presenting with cough, and vaccinated infants were first analyzed by the direct assay. In contrast to sera from controls, sera from several of the patients and vaccinated infants strongly inhibited activity. Dose-response curves of inhibition were determined for samples from three vaccinated infants by both the direct and plate assays. One of the samples had a dose-response curve of a different shape and thus differed not only in titer but also in functional characteristics. A comparison of inhibition of ADP-ribosyltransferase activity and neutralization in a CHO cell assay indicated that there was incomplete agreement between the two assays. Taken together, these results indicate that measurement of inhibition of ADP-ribosyltransferase activity by human serum is practical and may be useful in the evaluation of responses to pertussis vaccines.

Characterization of the human gene encoding ADP-ribosylation factor 1, a guanine nucleotide-binding activator of cholera toxin.

Mammalian ADP-ribosylation factors (ARFs), approximately 20-kDa guanine nucleotide-binding proteins that stimulate cholera toxin ADP-ribosyltransferase activity, were grouped into three classes based on deduced amino acid sequence. Human ARF 1, a class I ARF, is identical with its bovine counterpart, has a distinctive pattern of tissue and developmental expression, and is encoded by a approximately 1.9-kilobase mRNA. ARF 1 cDNAs were isolated from a human fibroblast cDNA library; one arose via an alternative polyadenylation signal (AA-TACA) 84 nucleotides 5' to the polyadenylation signal (AATAAA) used in the 1815-base pair cDNA. The polyadenylation signals, their respective locations, and the surrounding nucleotide sequences are conserved in human and rat. The human ARF 1 gene, with four introns, spans approximately 16.5 kilobases. Exon 1 (46 base pairs) contains only untranslated sequence. Translation initiates in exon 2, which encodes the sequence GXXXXGK involved in phosphate binding (GTP hydrolysis). The sequence DVGG is encoded in exon 3, and NKQD, which is involved in the interaction with the guanine ring, is interrupted following the codon for Q by intron 4. The carboxyl-terminal 53 amino acids and greater than 1110 base pairs of 3'-untranslated region are encoded in exon 5. Primer extension and mung bean and S1 nuclease mapping indicated multiple transcription initiation sites and were consistent with Northern analyses. The 5'-flanking region has a high GC content but no TATA or CAAT box, as found in housekeeping genes. In addition, the two human class I ARF genes, ARF 1 and ARF 3, have similar exon/intron organizations and use GC-rich promoters.

GTP but not GDP analogues promote association of ADP-ribosylation factors, 20-kDa protein activators of cholera toxin, with phospholipids and PC-12 cell membranes.

ADP-ribosylation factors (ARFs) are a family of approximately 20-kDa guanine nucleotide-binding proteins initially identified by their ability to enhance cholera toxin ADP-ribosyltransferase activity in the presence of GTP. ARFs have been purified from both membrane and cytosolic fractions. ARF purified from bovine brain cytosol requires phospholipid plus detergent for high affinity guanine nucleotide binding and for optimal enhancement of cholera toxin ADP-ribosyltransferase activity. The phospholipid requirements, combined with a putative role for ARF in vesicular transport, suggested that the soluble protein might interact reversibly with membranes. A polyclonal antibody against purified bovine ARF (sARF II) was used to detect ARF by immunoblot in membrane and soluble fractions from rat pheochromocytoma (PC-12) cell homogenates. ARF was predominantly cytosolic but increased in membranes during incubation of homogenates with nonhydrolyzable GTP analogues guanosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate), guanylyl-(beta gamma-imido)-diphosphate, and guanylyl-(beta gamma-methylene)-diphosphate, and to a lesser extent, adenosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate). GTP, GDP, GMP, and ATP were inactive. Cytosolic ARF similarly associated with added phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylinositol, or cardiolipin in GTP gamma S-dependent fashion. ARF binding to phosphatidylserine was reversible and coincident with stimulation of cholera toxin-catalyzed ADP-ribosylation. These observations may reflect a mechanism by which ARF could cycle between soluble and membrane compartments in vivo.

Cloning, sequencing, and expression of a gene encoding a 100-kilodalton mosquitocidal toxin from Bacillus sphaericus SSII-1

A cosmid library was prepared from a partial BamHI digest of total DNA from Bacillus sphaericus SSII-1. Two hundred fifty Escherichia coli clones were screened for toxicity against larvae of the mosquito Culex quinquefasciatus. One toxic clone, designated pKF2, was chosen for further study. Two toxic subclones, designated pXP33 and pXP34, obtained by ligating PstI-derived fragments of pKF2 into pUC18, contained the same 3.8-kb fragment, but in opposite orientations. Sequence analysis revealed the presence of an open reading frame corresponding to a 100-kDa protein and the 3' end of a further open reading frame having significant homology to open reading frames of transposons Tn501 and Tn21. The sequence of the SSII-1 toxin was compared with those of known toxins and was found to show regional homology to those of ADP-ribosyltransferase toxins. The distribution of the toxin gene among other B. sphaericus strains was examined.

Molecular identification of ADP-ribosylation factor mRNAs and their expression in mammalian cells.

ADP-ribosylation factors (ARFs) are approximately 20-kDa guanine nucleotide-binding proteins that serve as GTP-dependent allosteric activators of cholera toxin ADP-ribosyltransferase activity. Four species of mammalian ARF, termed ARF 1-4, have been identified by cloning. Hybridization of a bovine ARF 2 cDNA under low stringency with mammalian poly(A)+ RNA resulted in multiple bands that were subsequently assigned to the known ARF genes using ARF-specific oligonucleotide probes. The relative signal intensities of some bands (e.g. the 3.8- and 1.3-kilobase (kb) mRNAs) that hybridized with the cDNA were not, however, consistent with the intensities observed with the individual ARF-specific oligonucleotide probes. These inconsistencies suggested that other ARF-like mRNAs were comigrating with known ARF mRNAs. To explore this possibility, a cyclic AMP-differentiated HL-60 Lambda ZAP library was screened using the bovine ARF 2 cDNA. Clones corresponding to known ARF genes (1, 3, and 4) were identified by hybridization of positive clones with oligonucleotide probes specific for each ARF species; ARF 2 cDNA-positive, oligonucleotide-negative clones were sequenced. Two new ARF-like genes, ARF 5 and 6, encoding proteins of 180 and 175 amino acids, respectively, were identified. Both proteins contain consensus sequences believed to be involved in guanine nucleotide binding and GTP hydrolysis. ARF 5 was most similar in deduced amino acid sequence to ARF 4, which also has 180 amino acids. ARF 6, whose deduced amino acid sequence is identical with that of a putative chicken pseudogene (CPS1) except for a serine/threonine substitution, was different from other ARF species in size and deduced amino acid sequence. With mammalian poly(A)+ RNA from a variety of tissues and cultured cells, ARF 5 preferentially hybridized with a 1.3-kb mRNA, whereas ARF 6 hybridized with 1.8- and 4.2-kb mRNAs. The fact that the sizes of these mRNAs are similar to those of other ARFs (ARF 1, 1.9 kb; ARF 2, 2.6 kb; ARF 3, approximately 3.8 and 1.3 kb; ARF 4, 1.8 kb) explain the previously observed inconsistencies between the cDNA and ARF-specific oligonucleotide hybridization patterns. All six ARF cDNAs are more similar to each other than to other approximately 20-kDa guanine nucleotide-binding proteins.

Dissection of thymocyte signaling pathways by in vivo expression of pertussis toxin ADP-ribosyltransferase.

Stimulation of the T lymphocyte antigen receptor-CD3 complex (TCR-CD3) causes T cell activation by a process associated with increased phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC) activity. Evidence exists suggesting that GTP-binding (G) proteins, particularly the pertussis toxin (PT)-sensitive Gi proteins, participate in this signal transduction pathway. To clarify the role of Gi proteins in TCR-CD3 signaling, and to investigate other possible functions of Gi molecules in T cells, we expressed the S1 subunit of PT in the thymocytes of transgenic mice using the lymphocyte-specific lck promoter. Transgenic thymocytes contained S1 activity and exhibited profound depletion of Gi protein PT substrates in a manner suggesting their inactivation by S1 in vivo. Nevertheless, treatment of transgenic thymocytes with mitogenic stimuli provoked normal increases in intracellular free Ca2+ concentrations and IL-2 secretion, indicating that Gi proteins are not required for T cell activation. These normal signaling responses notwithstanding, mature thymocytes accumulated in lck-PT mice and did not appear in secondary lymphoid organs or in the circulation. Viewed in the context of the known features of Bordetella pertussis infection, our results suggest that a PT-sensitive signaling process, probably involving Gi proteins, regulates thymocyte emigration.