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Staphylococcus aureus Pore-Forming Toxins

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Staphylococcus aureus

Part of the book series: Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology ((CT MICROBIOLOGY,volume 409))

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.

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Abbreviations

ADAM10:

A disintegrin and metalloprotease 10

CA-MRSA:

Community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

CCR2:

C-C chemokine receptor type 2

CCR5:

C-C chemokine receptor type 5

CD11b:

Cluster of differentiation molecule 11b

cDNA:

Complementary deoxyribonucleic acid

CXCR1:

C-X-C chemokine receptor type 1

CXCR2:

C-X-C chemokine receptor type 2

DARC:

Duffy antigen receptor for chemokines

HEK:

Human embryonic kidney cells

Hla:

Alpha-toxin (also known as alpha-hemolysin)

HlgAB:

Gamma-hemolysin AB

HlgACB:

Gamma-hemolysins

HlgCB:

Gamma-hemolysin CB

LukAB/HG:

Leukocidin AB/HG

LukED:

Leukocidin ED

LukSF-PV/PVL:

Panton–Valentine Leukocidin

MAC-1:

Macrophage-1 integrin

PLEKHA7:

Pleckstrin homology domain-containing family A member 7

PMNs:

Polymorphonuclear neutrophils

S. aureus :

Staphylococcus aureus

SSTI:

Skin and soft tissue infection

WT:

Wild type

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Acknowledgments and/or funding sources:

We thank Francis Alonzo for critically reviewing this manuscript. Work on pore-forming toxins in Torres laboratory was supported by grants from the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases AI007180 and AI112290 to TRR, and AI099394 and AI105129 to VJT. VJT is a Burroughs Wellcome Fund Investigator in the Pathogenesis of Infectious Diseases.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. 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

    Tamara Reyes-Robles & Victor J. Torres

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  1. Tamara Reyes-Robles
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  2. Victor J. Torres
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Correspondence to Victor J. Torres .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. GSK Vaccines, Siena, Italy

    Fabio Bagnoli

  2. GSK Vaccines, Siena, Italy

    Rino Rappuoli

  3. Center for Integrative Biology (CIBIO), University of Trento, Trento, Italy

    Guido Grandi

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Reyes-Robles, T., Torres, V.J. (2016). Staphylococcus aureus Pore-Forming Toxins. In: Bagnoli, F., Rappuoli, R., Grandi, G. (eds) Staphylococcus aureus. Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology, vol 409. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/82_2016_16

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