Bordetella Adenylate Cyclase-Hemolysin Toxins

Adenylate cyclase-hemolysin toxin is secreted and produced by three classical species of the genus : , and . This toxin has several properties such as: (i) adenylate cyclase activity, enhanced after interaction with the eukaryotic protein, calmodulin; (ii) a pore-forming activity; (iii) an invasive activity. It plays an important role in the pathogenesis of these species responsible for whooping cough in humans or persistent respiratory infections in mammals, by modulating host immune responses. In contrast with other toxins or adhesins, lack of (or very low polymorphism) is observed in the structural gene encoding this toxin, supporting its importance as well as a potential role as a vaccine antigen against whooping cough. In this article, an overview of the investigations undertaken on this toxin is presented.