Brefeldin A, a toxin inhibitor of vesicular traffic, induces the selective mono-ADP-ribosylation of two cytosolic proteins, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and the novel GTP-binding protein BARS-50. Here, we have used a new quantitative assay for the characterization of this reaction and the development of specific pharmacological inhibitors. Mono-ADP-ribosylation is activated by brefeldin A with an EC 50 of 17.0 ؎ 3.1 g/ml, but not by biologically inactive analogs including a brefeldin A stereoisomer. Brefeldin A acts by increasing the V max of the reaction, whereas it does not influence the K m of the enzyme for NAD ؉ (154 ؎ 13 M). The enzyme is an integral membrane protein present in most tissues and is modulated by Zn 2؉ , Cu 2؉ , ATP (but not by other nucleotides), pH, temperature, and ionic strength. To identify inhibitors of the reaction, a large number of drugs previously tested as blockers of bacterial ADPribosyltransferases were screened. Two classes of molecules, one belonging to the coumarin group (dicumarol, coumermycin A 1 , and novobiocin) and the other to the quinone group (ilimaquinone, benzoquinone, and naphthoquinone), rather potently and specifically inhibited brefeldin A-dependent mono-ADP-ribosylation. When tested in living cells, these molecules antagonized the tubular reticular redistribution of the Golgi complex caused by brefeldin A at concentrations similar to those active in the mono-ADP-ribosylation assay in vitro, suggesting a role for mono-ADP-ribosylation in the cellular actions of brefeldin A.Mono-ADP-ribosylation is a post-translational modification of proteins whereby the adenosine 5Ј-diphosphoribose moiety of NAD ϩ is transferred to one of a number of amino acid residues (1, 2). Several well characterized mono-ADP-ribosylation reactions are catalyzed by bacterial toxins and result in the permanent modification of GTPases with key regulatory functions in cellular processes (1, 2). Similar reactions are also catalyzed by eukaryotic enzymes, but their cellular significance, despite recent advances (3-5), is less well understood. Recently, we have reported that brefeldin A (BFA), 1 a fungal toxin metabolite of palmitic acid (6) with potent inhibitory effects on intracellular membrane traffic (7), stimulates the selective mono-ADP-ribosylation of two cytosolic proteins of 38 and 50 kDa in mammalian cells (8). The 50-kDa substrate (BARS-50; see Ref. 9) binds GTP and is regulated by ␥-subunits of trimeric G proteins; it has therefore been proposed to be a novel G protein involved in membrane transport (9). The p38 substrate is glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), a multifunctional protein involved in several cellular processes (10 -16). These observations have raised the question as to whether some of the cellular effects of BFA might be mediated by mono-ADP-ribosylation.The cellular actions of BFA are multiple and complex. BFA selectively blocks constitutive protein secretion and causes a rapid and extensive disruption of the Golgi apparatus consisting of the ...