title: cAMP-independent effects of cholera toxin on B cell activation. I. A possible role for cell surface ganglioside GM1 in B cell activation.
abstract: Cholera toxin has been used as a tool to study the effects of cAMP on the activation of B cells but may have effects independent of its ability to elevate cAMP. We found five lines of evidence which suggested that cholera toxin suppressed mitogen-stimulated B cell activation through a cAMP-independent pathway. 1) Cholera toxin (1 microgram/ml) was consistently more suppressive than forskolin (100 microM) despite the induction of higher intracellular cAMP levels by forskolin. 2) Cholera toxin was more suppressive at 1 microgram/ml than at 0.1 microgram/ml despite equivalent elevations of cAMP. 3) Washing B cells following their incubation with cholera toxin reversed much of the inhibition without altering intracellular cAMP levels. 4) The A subunit of cholera toxin, which at high concentrations (10 micrograms/ml) induced levels of cAMP comparable to those induced by cholera toxin (1 and 0.1 microgram/ml), did not inhibit B cell activation. 5) cAMP derivatives at high concentrations were much less effective than was cholera toxin in suppressing B cell activation. Although the elevation of cAMP may cause a mild inhibition of B cell proliferation, we found that even a marked elevation of cAMP did not suppress B cell proliferation, unless the elevation was persistent. We did, however, observe that the degree of toxin inhibition more closely paralleled binding of the toxin to B cells than toxin stimulation of cAMP. This result raised the possibility that binding of cholera toxin to its ganglioside GM1 receptor mediated an inhibitory signal which suppressed B cell proliferation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD 20814-4799.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Francis
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Moss
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Fitz
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Mond
mesh_terms: D015124:8-Bromo Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D003994:Bucladesine / Q000494:pharmacology; D002772:Cholera Toxin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005576:Colforsin / Q000494:pharmacology; D000242:Cyclic AMP / Q000032:analysis / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005677:G(M1) Ganglioside / Q000502:physiology*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000187:drug effects*; D051379:Mice; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA
chemical_list: D005576:Colforsin; D015124:8-Bromo Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate; D005677:G(M1) Ganglioside; D003994:Bucladesine; D002772:Cholera Toxin; D000242:Cyclic AMP