The Staphylococcus aureus superantigen SElX is a bifunctional toxin that inhibits neutrophil function

PLoS Pathog. 2017 Sep 7;13(9):e1006461. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1006461. eCollection 2017 Sep.

Abstract

Bacterial superantigens (SAgs) cause Vβ-dependent T-cell proliferation leading to immune dysregulation associated with the pathogenesis of life-threatening infections such as toxic shock syndrome, and necrotizing pneumonia. Previously, we demonstrated that staphylococcal enterotoxin-like toxin X (SElX) from Staphylococcus aureus is a classical superantigen that exhibits T-cell activation in a Vβ-specific manner, and contributes to the pathogenesis of necrotizing pneumonia. Here, we discovered that SElX can also bind to neutrophils from human and other mammalian species and disrupt IgG-mediated phagocytosis. Site-directed mutagenesis of the conserved sialic acid-binding motif of SElX abolished neutrophil binding and phagocytic killing, and revealed multiple glycosylated neutrophil receptors for SElX binding. Furthermore, the neutrophil binding-deficient mutant of SElX retained its capacity for T-cell activation demonstrating that SElX exhibits mechanistically independent activities on distinct cell populations associated with acquired and innate immunity, respectively. Finally, we demonstrated that the neutrophil-binding activity rather than superantigenicity is responsible for the SElX-dependent virulence observed in a necrotizing pneumonia rabbit model of infection. Taken together, we report the first example of a SAg, that can manipulate both the innate and adaptive arms of the human immune system during S. aureus pathogenesis.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Enterotoxins / metabolism*
  • Exfoliatins / metabolism
  • Exfoliatins / pharmacology*
  • Humans
  • Lymphocyte Activation / immunology
  • Neutrophils / drug effects*
  • Neutrophils / immunology
  • Rabbits
  • Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / immunology
  • Staphylococcal Infections*
  • Staphylococcus aureus / chemistry
  • Staphylococcus aureus / metabolism
  • Superantigens / immunology
  • Superantigens / pharmacology*

Substances

  • Enterotoxins
  • Exfoliatins
  • Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta
  • Superantigens