Abstract
Exponential cultures of Bordetella pertussis strain 18334 were treated with the membrane-perturbing agent phenethyl alcohol which, at a concentration of 0.075% v/v, blocked the synthesis of mature subunit S1 of pertussis toxin as revealed by Western blotting. It also caused the accumulation of a precursor, pS1, with an estimated mol. wt of 32 X 10(3), that was located in the cytoplasmic membrane. These findings suggested that subunit S1 of pertussis toxin was exported in a signal peptide-dependent manner.