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Structural basis for abrogated binding between staphylococcal enterotoxin A superantigen vaccine and MHC-IIalpha
Heike I Krupka1, Brent W Segelke, Robert G Ulrich
1Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Macromolecular Crystallography, Biology and Biotechnology Research Program, University of California, Livermore, California 94551, USA.
Abstract:
Staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) are superantigenic protein toxins responsible for a number of life-threatening diseases. The X-ray structure of a staphylococcal enterotoxin A (SEA) triple-mutant (L48R, D70R, and Y92A) vaccine reveals a cascade of structural rearrangements located in three loop regions essential for binding the alpha subunit of major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC-II) molecules. A comparison of hypothetical model complexes between SEA and the SEA triple mutant with MHC-II HLA-DR1 clearly shows disruption of key ionic and hydrophobic interactions necessary for forming the complex. Extensive dislocation of the disulfide loop in particular interferes with MHC-IIalpha binding. The triple-mutant structure provides new insights into the loss of superantigenicity and toxicity of an engineered superantigen and provides a basis for further design of enterotoxin vaccines.