Binding of cholera toxin B subunit to intestinal epithelial cells.

We have prepared 125 I-labeled cholera toxin B subunit (125 I-labeled CT-B, a specific activity of 98Ci/mmol) and found that it binds to rat IEC-6 and human Caco-2 intestinal epithelial cells with high affinity (Kd 3.6 and 3.7nM, respectively). The binding of labeled protein was completely inhibited by unlabeled thymosin-α1 (TM-α1 ), interferon-α2 (IFN-α2 ), and the synthetic peptide LKEKK that corresponds to residues 16-20 in TM-α1 and 131-135 in IFN-α2 , but was not inhibited by the synthetic peptide KKEKL with inverted amino acid sequence (Ki >10μM). Thus, TM-α1 , IFN-α2 , and the peptide: LKEKK bind with high affinity and specificity to the cholera toxin receptor on IEC-6 and Caco-2 cells. It was found that CT-B and the peptide: LKEKK at concentrations of 10-1000nM increased in a dose-dependent manner the nitric oxide production and the soluble guanylate cyclase activity in IEC-6 and Caco-2 cells.