Activity of Staphylococcus epidermidis phenol-soluble modulin peptides expressed in Staphylococcus carnosus.
Staphylococcus epidermidis releases a group of peptides termed phenol-soluble modulin (PSM) that stimulate macrophages. The structure of 3 peptides (PSM alpha, PSM beta, and PSM gamma ) have been described. We report a fourth peptide (PSM delta ), which is a 23mer with the structure fMSIVSTIIEVVKTIVDIVKKFKK. The gene for each of the 4 peptides was introduced singly into Staphylococcus carnosus, and the PSM-like activity of culture medium and bacterial extract were significantly greater than those of the parent strain. PSM peptides from each of the S. carnosus-expressing strains were purified and analyzed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The products, which appeared to form aggregates, were active in the activation of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 long-terminal repeat and the production of tumor necrosis factor- alpha by the macrophage cell line THP-1. These findings suggest that PSM peptides are responsible, in part, for the modulin-like activity of staphylococci and may contribute to the development of severe staphylococcal sepsis.
Otto
Michael
M
Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, USA.
O'Mahoney
D Shane
DS
Guina
Tina
T
Klebanoff
Seymour J
SJ
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D002460:Cell Line; D002853:Chromatography, Liquid; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D016325:HIV Long Terminal Repeat; D006801:Humans; D008264:Macrophages / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D013210:Staphylococcus / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D013212:Staphylococcus epidermidis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis
D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; C025971:staphylococcal delta toxin