{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,12]],"date-time":"2025-10-12T02:55:39Z","timestamp":1760237739245,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":48,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2020,6,23]],"date-time":"2020-06-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1592870400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100000268","name":"Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["BB\/P002757\/1"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["BB\/P002757\/1"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100000268","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJMS"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Bacterial superantigens (sAgs) are powerful activators of the immune response that trigger unspecific T cell responses accompanied by the release of proinflammatory cytokines. Streptococcus equi (S. equi) and Streptococcus zooepidemicus (S. zooepidemicus) produce sAgs that play an important role in their ability to cause disease. Strangles, caused by S. equi, is one of the most common infectious diseases of horses worldwide. Here, we report the identification of a new sAg of S. zooepidemicus, SpeS, and show that mutation of the putative T cell receptor (TCR)-binding motif (YAY to IAY) abrogated TCR-binding, whilst maintaining interaction with major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II molecules. The fusion of SpeS and SpeSY39I to six S. equi surface proteins using two different peptide linkers was conducted to determine if MHC class II-binding properties were maintained. Proliferation assays, qPCR and flow cytometry analysis showed that SpeSY39I and its fusion proteins induced less mitogenic activity and interferon gamma expression when compared to SpeS, whilst retaining Antigen-Presenting Cell (APC)-binding properties. Our data suggest that SpeSY39I-surface protein fusions could be used to direct vaccine antigens towards antigen-presenting cells in vivo with the potential to enhance antigen presentation and improve immune responses.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms21124467","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2020,6,24]],"date-time":"2020-06-24T07:14:19Z","timestamp":1592982859000},"page":"4467","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["SpeS: A Novel Superantigen and Its Potential as a Vaccine Adjuvant against Strangles"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"21","author":[{"given":"C. Coral","family":"Dominguez-Medina","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Animal Health Trust, Lanwades Park, Kentford, Newmarket CB8 7UU, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Nicola L.","family":"Rash","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Animal Health Trust, Lanwades Park, Kentford, Newmarket CB8 7UU, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Sylvain","family":"Robillard","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Animal Health Trust, Lanwades Park, Kentford, Newmarket CB8 7UU, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Carl","family":"Robinson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Animal Health Trust, Lanwades Park, Kentford, Newmarket CB8 7UU, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Androulla","family":"Efstratiou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Public Health England, 61 Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5EQ, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Karen","family":"Broughton","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Public Health England, 61 Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5EQ, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7069-5958","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Julian","family":"Parkhill","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK"},{"name":"Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge Veterinary School, Cambridge CB3 0ES, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Matthew T.G.","family":"Holden","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK"},{"name":"School of Medicine, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 9TF, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4207-0739","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maria R.","family":"Lopez-Alvarez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Animal Health Trust, Lanwades Park, Kentford, Newmarket CB8 7UU, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3081-2037","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Romain","family":"Paillot","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Animal Health Trust, Lanwades Park, Kentford, Newmarket CB8 7UU, UK"},{"name":"LAB\u00c9O Frank Duncombe, 1 Route de Rosel, CEDEX 4, 14053 Caen, France"},{"name":"Biotargen, Normandie Univ, UniCaen, 3 rue Nelson Mandela, 14280 Saint-Contest, France"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Andrew S.","family":"Waller","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Animal Health Trust, Lanwades Park, Kentford, Newmarket CB8 7UU, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2020,6,23]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3016","DOI":"10.1099\/mic.0.2008\/018911-0","article-title":"Development of an unambiguous and discriminatory multilocus sequence typing scheme for the Streptococcus zooepidemicus group","volume":"154","author":"Webb","year":"2008","journal-title":"Microbiology"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"292","DOI":"10.1016\/0034-5288(94)90120-1","article-title":"Genetic structure of populations of beta-haemolytic Lancefield group C streptococci from horses and their association with disease","volume":"57","author":"Jorm","year":"1994","journal-title":"Res. 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