title: Staphylococcus aureus Pore-Forming Toxins.
abstract: Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a formidable foe equipped with an armamentarium of virulence factors to thwart host defenses and establish a successful infection. Among these virulence factors, S. aureus produces several potent secreted proteins that act as cytotoxins, predominant among them the beta-barrel pore-forming toxins. These toxins play several roles in pathogenesis, including disruption of cellular adherens junctions at epithelial barriers, alteration of intracellular signaling events, modulation of host immune responses, and killing of eukaryotic immune and non-immune cells. This chapter provides an updated overview on the S. aureus beta-barrel pore-forming cytotoxins, the identification of toxin receptors on host cells, and their roles in pathogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Microbial Pathogenesis Program, New York University School of Medicine, 522 First Avenue, Smilow Research Building, Room 1010, New York, NY, 10016, USA.
authors.forename: Tamara
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Reyes-Robles
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Microbial Pathogenesis Program, New York University School of Medicine, 522 First Avenue, Smilow Research Building, Room 1010, New York, NY, 10016, USA. Victor.Torres@nyumc.org.
authors.forename: Victor J
authors.initials: VJ
authors.lastname: Torres
mesh_terms: D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus; D037521:Virulence Factors
chemical_list: D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D037521:Virulence Factors