A role of the B-oligomer moiety of islet-activating protein, pertussis toxin, in development of the biological effects on intact cells

Islet-activating protein (IAP), pertussis toxin, is an oligomeric protein (Tamura, M., Nogimori, K., Murai, S., Yajima, M., Ito, K., Katada, T., Ui, M., and Ishii, S. (1982) Biochemistry 21, 5516-5522), the biggest subunit (Mr = 28,000, referred to as the A-protomer) of which catalyzes transfer of the ADP-ribose moiety of NAD to the membrane Mr = 41,000 protein. The pentamer, termed the B-oligomer, consisting of the residual subunits was the moiety of IAP that was responsible for binding to the cell surface, as revealed by competitive inhibition of the development of the IAP actions on intact rat C6 glioma cells and rat adipocytes. The binding of the B-oligomer to its receptor proteins was divalent via the constituent two dimers; it stimulated mitosis of lymphocytes and caused an insulin-like action to enhance glucose oxidation in adipocytes, just as did concanavalin A, presumably as a result of cross-linking or aggregation of the membrane proteins. The A-promoter displayed its biological action on adipocytes only when the B-oligomer had been bound to the cells. Thus, IAP is a typical A-B toxin in which the B-oligomer is first bound to the cell surface proteins to enable the A-protomer to reach to the site of its action within the cell. Diverse biological actions of pertussis toxin may be accounted for by the mitogenic action of the B-oligomer as well as ADP-ribosyltransferase activity of the A-promoter.