title: Biological activities of cell envelope fragments of the archaeobacterium Sulfolobus solfataricus: lethal toxicity, local hypersensitivity, pyrogenicity and spleen lymphocyte mitogenicity.
abstract: The sensitizing effect and the local and general toxicity related to membrane components of the archaeobacterium Sulfolobus solfataricus was studied. Cell envelope fragments were biologically active but this activity was lost upon separation of the lipid and protein components. The envelope fragments exerted lethal effects on mice sensitized with D-galactosamine that were prevented by pretreatment with anti-TNF-alpha serum. This lethal activity occurred in both LPS-responder (BALB/cByJ) and LPS-nonresponder (C3H/HeJ) mouse strains. In addition, Sulfolobus envelope fragments tested in rabbits caused a local Schwartzman reaction, and showed pyrogenic activity. In vitro, the envelope fragments that act on spleen lymphocytes of the LPS-responder (BALB/cByJ) and LPS-nonresponder (C3H/HeJ) mice caused an uptake of [3H]thymidine similar to that caused by concanavalin A. A similar toxic activity to that exerted by eubacteria is therefore exerted by this non-pathogenic archaeobacterium despite the difference in surface chemistry.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Microbiologia, Facoltà di Medicina e Chirurgia, Seconda Università degli Studi di Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Galdiero
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sommese
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marcatili
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Scarfogliero
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Capasso
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Morana
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Galdiero
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005334:Fever / Q000209:etiology; D005688:Galactosamine / Q000633:toxicity; D007120:Immunochemistry; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000633:toxicity; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D011749:Pyrogens / Q000302:isolation & purification; D011817:Rabbits; D012790:Shwartzman Phenomenon / Q000209:etiology; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology; D016944:Sulfolobus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000472:pathogenicity* / Q000502:physiology; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors
chemical_list: D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D011749:Pyrogens; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D005688:Galactosamine