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Infection and Immunity, April 2000, p. 2366-2368, Vol. 68, No. 4
0019-9567/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Staphylococcal Exfoliative Toxins Cleave alpha - and beta -Melanocyte-Stimulating Hormones

James V. Rago,1 Gregory M. Vath,2 Timothy J. Tripp,1 Gregory A. Bohach,3 Douglas H. Ohlendorf,2 and Patrick M. Schlievert1,*

Departments of Microbiology1 and Biochemistry,2 University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, and Department of Microbiology, Molecular Biology, and Biochemistry, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho 838443

Received 4 October 1999/Returned for modification 10 December 1999/Accepted 6 January 2000

The staphylococcal exfoliative toxins (ETs) A and B (ETA and ETB) are 27-kDa exotoxins produced by certain strains of Staphylococcus aureus and are the causative agents of staphylococcal scalded-skin syndrome. The crystal structures of the ETs strongly indicate that the proteins are members of the serine protease family of enzymes, although protease activity until now has not yet been conclusively demonstrated. Here, we show that the peptide beta -melanocyte-stimulating hormone (beta -MSH) is cleaved by ETA and that both ETA and ETB are capable of cleaving alpha -MSH. Both toxins exhibit cleavage at specific glutamic acid residues in MSH peptides. Moreover, biologically inactive mutants of ETA were incapable of cleaving beta -MSH.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Microbiology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Box 196 Mayo, 420 Delaware St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455. Phone: (612) 624-9471. Fax: (612) 626-0623. E-mail: pats{at}lenti.med.umn.edu.

Infection and Immunity, April 2000, p. 2366-2368, Vol. 68, No. 4
0019-9567/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


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