title: High sensitivity of mouse neuronal cells to tetanus toxin requires a GPI-anchored protein.
abstract: Tetanus neurotoxin (TeNT) produced by Clostridium tetani specifically cleaves VAMP/synaptobrevin (VAMP) in central neurons, thereby causing inhibition of neurotransmitter release and ensuing spastic paralysis. Although polysialogangliosides act as components of the neurotoxin binding sites on neurons, evidence has accumulated indicating that a protein moiety is implicated as a receptor of TeNT. We have observed that treatment of cultured mouse neuronal cells with the phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PIPLC) inhibited TeNT-induced cleavage of VAMP. Also, we have shown that the blocking effects of TeNT on neuroexocytosis can be prevented by incubation of Purkinje cell preparation with PIPLC. In addition, treatment of cultured mouse neuronal cells with cholesterol sequestrating agents such as nystatin and filipin, which disrupt clustering of GPI-anchored proteins in lipid rafts, prevented intraneuronal VAMP cleavage by TeNT. Our results demonstrate that high sensitivity of neurons to TeNT requires rafts and one or more GPI-anchored protein(s) which act(s) as a pivotal receptor for the neurotoxin.
authors.affiliation: INSERM Unité 452, Faculté de Médecine, 28 Avenue de Valombrose, F-06107 Nice, France.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Munro
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kojima
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Dupont
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Bossu
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Poulain
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Boquet
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001665:Binding Sites; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000378:metabolism; D003600:Cytosol / Q000737:chemistry; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004594:Electrophysiology; D004705:Endocytosis; D005372:Filipin / Q000378:metabolism; D021962:Membrane Microdomains / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008954:Models, Biological; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D009761:Nystatin / Q000378:metabolism; D043265:Phosphatidylinositol Diacylglycerol-Lyase; D054801:Phosphoinositide Phospholipase C; D011485:Protein Binding; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D011689:Purkinje Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000196:embryology; D013744:Tetanus Toxin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013997:Time Factors; D010738:Type C Phospholipases / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D013744:Tetanus Toxin; D009761:Nystatin; D005372:Filipin; D010738:Type C Phospholipases; D054801:Phosphoinositide Phospholipase C; D043265:Phosphatidylinositol Diacylglycerol-Lyase