Staphylococcus aureus LukAB cytotoxin kills human neutrophils by targeting the CD11b subunit of the integrin Mac-1.

ABSTRACT: Staphylococcus aureus causes diseases ranging from superficial wound infections to more invasive manifestations like osteomyelitis and endocarditis. The evasion of host phagocytes recruited to the site of infection is essential to the success of S. aureus as a pathogen. A single S. aureus strain can produce up to five different bicomponent pore-forming leukotoxins that lyse immune cells by forming pores in the cellular plasma membrane. Although these leukotoxins have been considered redundant due to their cytotoxic activity toward human neutrophils, each toxin displays varied species and cell-type specificities. This suggests that cellular factors may influence which cells each toxin targets. Here we describe the identification of CD11b, the α subunit of the αM/β2 integrin (CD11b/CD18), ma

SUBMITTER: DuMont AL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3696772 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature