Book chapter
Molecular Analysis of Staphylococcal Superantigens
Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Protocols, pp.113-126
Methods in Molecular Biology, Humana Press
2007
DOI: 10.1007/978-1-59745-468-1_9
PMID: 18025673
Abstract
Staphylococcal superantigens (SAgs) comprise a large family of exotoxins produced by Staphylococcus aureus strains. These exotoxins are important in a variety of serious human diseases, including menstrual and nonmenstrual toxic shock syndrome (TSS), staphylococcal pneumonias, and a recently described staphylococcal purpura fulminans. In addition, these SAg exotoxins are being increasingly recognized for their possible roles in many other human diseases, such as atopic dermatitis, Kawasaki syndrome, nasal polyposis, and certain autoimmune disorders. To clarify the full spectrum of human diseases caused by staphylococcal SAgs, it is necessary to have assays for them. At present there are 17 well-characterized, serologically distinct SAgs made by S. aureus: TSS toxin-1; staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) A, B, C (multiple minor variant forms exist), D, E, and I; and SE-like G, H, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, and Q. In addition, SE-like proteins R, S, T, and U have been identified but remain poorly characterized. The most straightforward way to analyze S. aureus strains for the well-characterized SAgs is through polymerase chain reaction for their genes; we provide here our method for this analysis. Although it would be ideal to confirm that all of the same SAgs are produced by S. aureus strains that have the genes, antibody reagents for SAg detection are only available for TSS toxin-1; SEs A-E; and enterotoxin-like proteins G, H, and Q. We provide a Western immunoblot procedure that allows in vitro quantification of these SAgs.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Molecular Analysis of Staphylococcal Superantigens
- Creators
- Patrick M Schlievert - Department of Microbiology, University of Minnesota Medical School, MinneapolisLaura C Case - Department of Microbiology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis
- Resource Type
- Book chapter
- Publication Details
- Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Protocols, pp.113-126
- Publisher
- Humana Press; Totowa, NJ
- Series
- Methods in Molecular Biology
- DOI
- 10.1007/978-1-59745-468-1_9
- PMID
- 18025673
- eISSN
- 1940-6029
- ISSN
- 1064-3745
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 2007
- Academic Unit
- Microbiology and Immunology; Internal Medicine
- Record Identifier
- 9984001211102771
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