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Published on: February 1, 2018
Neutralization of staphylococcal enterotoxin B by an aptamer antagonist
Kaiyu Wang1, Longjie Gan2, Li Jiang2
1Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Fuzhou General Hospital of Nanjing Military Command, Fuzhou, People's Republic of China Department of Laboratory Medicine, Dongfang Hospital, Xiamen University, Fuzhou, People's Republic of China Department of Laboratory Medicine, Fuzong Clinical College, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, People's Republic of China.
Abstract:
Staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) is a major virulence factor for staphylococcal toxic shock syndrome (TSS). SEB activates a large subset of the T lymphocytic population, releasing proinflammatory cytokines. Blocking SEB-initiated toxicity may be an effective strategy for treating TSS. Using a process known as systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX), we identified an aptamer that can antagonize SEB with nanomolar binding affinity (Kd = 64 nM). The aptamer antagonist effectively inhibits SEB-mediated proliferation and cytokine secretion in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Moreover, a PEGylated aptamer antagonist significantly reduced mortality in a "double-hit" mouse model of SEB-induced TSS, established via sensitization with d-galactosamine followed by SEB challenge. Therefore, our novel aptamer antagonist may offer potential therapeutic efficacy against SEB-mediated TSS.
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