Bacterial toxins induce heat shock proteins in human neutrophils

• Published in: Biochemical and biophysical research communications Vol. 179; no. 2; p. 872
• Main Authors: Hensler, T, Köller, M, Alouf, J E, König, W
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 16-09-1991
• Subjects: Bacterial Proteins; Bacterial Toxins - pharmacology; Base Sequence; Blotting, Western; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; Enterotoxins - pharmacology; Exotoxins - pharmacology; Gene Expression; Heat-Shock Proteins - metabolism; Hemolysin Proteins - pharmacology; Humans; Membrane Proteins; Molecular Sequence Data; Neutrophils - drug effects; Organic Chemicals; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Pyrogens - pharmacology; RNA, Messenger - metabolism; Staphylococcus aureus; Superantigens
• ISSN: 0006-291X
• DOI: 10.1016/0006-291X(91)91899-N

We studied the influence of different bacterial toxins (alveolysin; toxic shock syndrome toxin 1, TSST-1 and erythrogenic toxin A, ETA) on the expression of heat shock proteins (hsps) in isolated human polymorphonuclear granulocytes (PMNs). As was shown by Western blotting (anti-hsp72) ETA and TSST-1 were potent inducers of hsps at low toxin concentrations (10 ng/ml). Alveolysin led to the expression of hsps at hemolytic concentrations (1 HU; 700 ng/ml) whereas at subhemolytic concentrations (7 ng/ml) no heat shock response was observed. The induction of heat shock proteins was also accompanied by increased mRNA levels for hsp70 as was determined by PCR-analysis.