Bacillus anthracis is the causative agent of anthrax in humans and other mammals1, 2. In lethal systemic anthrax, proliferating bacilli secrete large quantities of the toxins lethal factor (LF) and edema factor (EF), leading to widespread vascular leakage and shock. While host targets of LF (MAPKKs) and EF (cAMP-dependent processes)3 have been implicated in the initial phase of anthrax1, 2, less is understood about toxin action during the final stage of infection. Here, we use Drosophila to identify the Rab11/Sec15 exocyst, which acts at the last step of endocytic recycling, as a novel target of both EF and LF. EF reduces levels of apically localized Rab11, and indirectly blocks vesicle formation by its binding partner and effector Sec15 (Sec15-GFP), while LF acts more directly to reduce Sec15-GFP vesicles. Convergent effects of EF and LF on Rab11/Sec15 inhibit expression of and signaling by the Notch ligand Delta and reduce DE-cadherin levels at adherens junctions (AJ). In human endothelial cells, the two toxins act in a conserved fashion to block formation of Sec15 vesicles, inhibit Notch signaling, and reduce cadherin expression at AJ. This coordinated disruption of the Rab11/Sec-15 exocyst by anthrax toxins may contribute to toxin-dependent barrier disruption and vascular dysfunction during B. anthracis infection.

Summary Cholera toxin (CT), a virulence factor elaborated by Vibrio cholerae, is sufficient to induce the severe diarrhea characteristic of cholera. The enzymatic moiety of CT (CtxA) increases cAMP synthesis in intestinal epithelial cells, leading to chloride ion (Cl−) efflux through the CFTR Cl− channel. To preserve electroneutrality and osmotic balance, sodium ions and water also flow into the intestinal lumen via a paracellular route. We find that CtxA-driven cAMP increase also inhibits Rab11/exocyst-mediated trafficking of host proteins including E-cadherin and Notch signaling components to cell-cell junctions in Drosophila, human intestinal epithelial cells, and ligated mouse ileal loops, thereby disrupting barrier function. Additionally, CtxA induces junctional damage, weight loss, and dye leakage in the Drosophila gut, contributing to lethality from live V. cholerae infection, all of which can be rescued by Rab11 over-expression. These barrier-disrupting effects of CtxA may act in parallel with Cl− secretion to drive the pathophysiology of cholera.

Many bacterial toxins act on conserved components of essential host-signaling pathways. One consequence of this conservation is that genetic model organisms such as Drosophila melanogaster can be used for analyzing the mechanism of toxin action. In this study, we characterize the activities of two anthrax virulence factors, lethal factor (LF) and edema factor, in transgenic Drosophila. LF is a zinc metalloprotease that cleaves and inactivates most human mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) kinases (MAPKKs). We found that LF similarly cleaves the Drosophila MAPK kinases Hemipterous (Hep) and Licorne in vitro. Consistent with these observations, expression of LF in Drosophila inhibited the Hep͞c-Jun N-terminal kinase pathway during embryonic dorsal closure and the related process of adult thoracic closure. Epistasis experiments confirmed that LF acts at the level of Hep. We also found that LF inhibits Ras͞MAPK signaling during wing development and that LF acts upstream of MAPK and downstream of Raf, consistent with LF acting at the level of Dsor. In addition, we found that edema factor, a potent adenylate cyclase, inhibits the hh pathway during wing development, consistent with the known role of cAMP-dependent PKA in suppressing the Hedgehog response. These results demonstrate that anthrax toxins function in Drosophila as they do in mammalian cells and open the way to using Drosophila as a multicellular host system for studying the in vivo function of diverse toxins and virulence factors.mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase ͉ c-Jun terminal kinase ͉ downstream of raf1 ͉ development ͉ cAMP-dependent PKA

In the print version of the above article, the name of author Beatriz Cruz-Moreno was printed incorrectly due to a production error. This has now been corrected online, and we apologize for any inconvenience this has caused.

Various bacterial toxins circumvent host defenses through overproduction of cAMP. In a previous study, we showed that edema factor (EF), an adenylate cyclase from Bacillus anthracis, disrupts endocytic recycling mediated by the small GTPase Rab11. As a result, cargo proteins such as cadherins fail to reach inter-cellular junctions. In the present study, we provide further mechanistic dissection of Rab11 inhibition by EF using a combination of Drosophila and mammalian systems. EF blocks Rab11 trafficking after the GTP-loading step, preventing a constitutively active form of Rab11 from delivering cargo vesicles to the plasma membrane. Both of the primary cAMP effector pathways -PKA and Epac/Rap1- contribute to inhibition of Rab11-mediated trafficking, but act at distinct steps of the delivery process. PKA acts early, preventing Rab11 from associating with its effectors Rip11 and Sec15. In contrast, Epac functions subsequently via the small GTPase Rap1 to block fusion of recycling endosomes with the plasma membrane, and appears to be the primary effector of EF toxicity in this process. Similarly, experiments conducted in mammalian systems reveal that Epac, but not PKA, mediates the activity of EF both in cell culture and in vivo. The small GTPase Arf6, which initiates endocytic retrieval of cell adhesion components, also contributes to junctional homeostasis by counteracting Rab11-dependent delivery of cargo proteins at sites of cell-cell contact. These studies have potentially significant practical implications, since chemical inhibition of either Arf6 or Epac blocks the effect of EF in cell culture and in vivo, opening new potential therapeutic avenues for treating symptoms caused by cAMP-inducing toxins or related barrier-disrupting pathologies.