title: Recombinant epidermolytic (exfoliative) toxin A of Staphylococcus aureus is not a superantigen.
abstract: The epidermolytic (exfoliative) toxins produced by Staphylococcus aureus cause epidermolysis and skin blistering. In addition, they have been implicated to belong to the group of T lymphocyte stimulating molecules known as "superantigens". Here we show that recombinant epidermolytic toxin A produced in S. aureus is not mitogenic for human and murine T lymphocytes. We discuss the possibility that minute contaminations of highly mitogenic exoproteins may cause the mitogenicity in several proteins that are reported to be superantigens.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Mainz, Federal Republic of Germany.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fleischer
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Bailey
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D005083:Exfoliatins / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000032:analysis; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009000:Monocytes; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D005083:Exfoliatins; D007376:Interleukin-2; D011994:Recombinant Proteins