ABSTRACT
Pertussistoxin(PT)isaproteinsecretedbythegram-negativebacteriumBordetella pertussis.PTinteractswithmanytypesofmammaliancellsandhasmultiplebiological activities,whichincludeaffectingtherecirculationofleukocytes(Spangrudeetal.,1984), alteringtheresponseofneutrophilstoN-formylatedpeptidesthatarechemoattractants (BokochandGilman,1984),andinhibitingthemigrationofmacrophages(Meadeetal.,
1984).Thus,thetoxinmaycontributetothepathogenicityoftheorganismbyimpairing theimmunesystemofthehost.
