| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
|
|
|
|||||||
|
|||||||||
*
Department of Microbiology, Molecular Biology, and Biochemistry, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844; Departments of
Microbiology and
Biochemistry, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455;
§
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73190;
¶
Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506; and
||
Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164
Certain strains of Staphylococcus aureus express one or both of two related, but immunologically distinct, exfoliative toxins (ETA and ETB). These toxins induce the symptoms associated with staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome. Both ETs have been shown to stimulate T cell proliferation. Recently, it was reported that ETA is a superantigen that stimulates T cells bearing human Vß2 or several murine Vßs. However, other investigators have proposed that the superantigenicity reported for ETA resulted from contaminants in commercial preparations. This present study addresses those conflicting reports by assessing the biological and immunologic activities of highly purified rETs. ETA and ETB required APCs to induce selective polyclonal expansion of several human Vßs (huVßs), although, neither toxin expanded huVß2. ETB induced expansion of murine T cells bearing Vßs 7 and 8, those that have the highest homology to the huVßs expanded by ETA and ETB. Although flow cytometry of ETB-stimulated T cells matched PCR results, stimulation by ETA reduced percentages of T cells positive for several huVßs that had been shown to have increased levels of mRNA transcripts. ETA and ETB induced contrasting reactions in vivo. In rabbits, ETB was moderately pyrogenic and enhanced susceptibility to lethal shock, while ETA lacked both activities. Predictions based on comparisons with other superantigens suggest molecular regions potentially involved in receptor binding in the ETA crystal structure and a modeled ETB three-dimensional structure. These results show that ETs are superantigens with unique properties that could account for the discrepancies reported.
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  P. M. Mertz, T. C. P. Cardenas, R. V. Snyder, M. A. Kinney, S. C. Davis, and L. R. W. Plano Staphylococcus aureus Virulence Factors Associated With Infected Skin Lesions: Influence on the Local Immune Response Arch Dermatol, October 1, 2007; 143(10): 1259 - 1263. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 S. Holtfreter, D. Grumann, M. Schmudde, H. T. T. Nguyen, P. Eichler, B. Strommenger, K. Kopron, J. Kolata, S. Giedrys-Kalemba, I. Steinmetz, et al. Clonal Distribution of Superantigen Genes in Clinical Staphylococcus aureus Isolates J. Clin. Microbiol., August 1, 2007; 45(8): 2669 - 2680. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 M. Roggiani, J. A. Stoehr, S. B. Olmsted, Y. V. Matsuka, S. Pillai, D. H. Ohlendorf, and P. M. Schlievert Toxoids of Streptococcal Pyrogenic Exotoxin A Are Protective in Rabbit Models of Streptococcal Toxic Shock Syndrome Infect. Immun., September 1, 2000; 68(9): 5011 - 5017. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 J. K. McCormick, T. J. Tripp, S. B. Olmsted, Y. V. Matsuka, P. J. Gahr, D. H. Ohlendorf, and P. M. Schlievert Development of Streptococcal Pyrogenic Exotoxin C Vaccine Toxoids That Are Protective in the Rabbit Model of Toxic Shock Syndrome J. Immunol., August 15, 2000; 165(4): 2306 - 2312. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
L. R. W. Plano, D. M. Gutman, M. Woischnik, and C. M. Collins Recombinant Staphylococcus aureus Exfoliative Toxins Are Not Bacterial Superantigens Infect. Immun., May 1, 2000; 68(5): 3048 - 3052. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
J. V. Rago, G. M. Vath, T. J. Tripp, G. A. Bohach, D. H. Ohlendorf, and P. M. Schlievert Staphylococcal Exfoliative Toxins Cleave alpha - and beta -Melanocyte-Stimulating Hormones Infect. Immun., April 1, 2000; 68(4): 2366 - 2368. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
J. V. Rago, G. M. Vath, G. A. Bohach, D. H. Ohlendorf, and P. M. Schlievert Mutational Analysis of the Superantigen Staphylococcal Exfoliative Toxin A (ETA) J. Immunol., February 15, 2000; 164(4): 2207 - 2213. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
