Open AccessIdentification and Characterization of a New Staphylococcal Enterotoxin-Related Putative Toxin Encoded by Two Kinds of Plasmids
Author(s) -
Katsuhiko Omoe,
DongLiang Hu,
Hiromi Takahashi-Omoe,
Akio Nakane,
Kunihiro Shinagawa
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
infection and immunity
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.508
H-Index - 220
eISSN - 1070-6313
pISSN - 0019-9567
DOI - 10.1128/iai.71.10.6088-6094.2003
Subject(s) - plasmid , biology , enterotoxin , recombinant dna , toxin , gene , escherichia coli , microbiology and biotechnology , genetics
We identified and characterized a novel staphylococcal enterotoxin-like putative toxin, which is named SER. Nucleotide sequencing analysis of the ser gene revealed that ser was most closely related to the seg gene. The ser gene product, SER, was successfully expressed as a recombinant protein in an Escherichia coli expression system, and recombinant SER (rSER) showed significant T-cell stimulation activity. The SER production in ser-harboring Staphylococcus aureus strains was confirmed by Western blot analysis using anti-rSER antibody. Moreover, ser was seen to be encoded by at least two types of plasmids. In particular, one kind of plasmid encoding the ser gene has been known as a sed- and sej-carrying pIB485-related plasmid.