{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,3]],"date-time":"2026-10-03T09:27:09Z","timestamp":1791019629437,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":46,"publisher":"Oxford University Press (OUP)","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2008,10,1]],"date-time":"2008-10-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1222819200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/pages\/standard-publication-reuse-rights"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2008,10,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n               <jats:p>The species Staphylococcus aureus harbors 19 superantigen gene loci, six of which are located in the enterotoxin gene cluster (egc). Although these egc superantigens are far more prevalent in clinical S. aureus isolates than non-egc superantigens, they are not a prominent cause of toxic shock. Moreover, neutralizing Abs against egc superantigens are very rare, even among carriers of egc-positive S. aureus strains. In search of an explanation, we have tested two non-exclusive hypotheses: 1) egc and non-egc superantigens have unique intrinsic properties and drive the immune system into different directions and 2) egc and non-egc superantigens are released by S. aureus under different conditions, which shape the immune response. A comparison of three egc (SEI, SElM, and SElO) and three non-egc superantigens (SEB, SElQ, and toxic shock syndrome toxin-1) revealed that both induced proliferation of human PBMC with comparable potency and elicited similar Th1\/Th2-cytokine signatures. This was supported by gene expression analysis of PBMC stimulated with one representative superantigen from each group (SEI and SEB). They induced very similar transcriptional changes, especially of inflammation-associated gene networks, corresponding to a very strong Th1- and Th17-dominated immune response. In contrast, the regulation of superantigen release differed markedly between both superantigen groups. Egc-encoded proteins were secreted by S. aureus during exponential growth, while non-egc superantigens were released in the stationary phase. We conclude that the distinct biological behavior of egc and non-egc superantigens is not due to their intrinsic properties, which are very similar, but caused by their differential release by S. aureus.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.4049\/jimmunol.181.7.5054","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2014,4,18]],"date-time":"2014-04-18T23:07:10Z","timestamp":1397862430000},"page":"5054-5061","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":58,"title":["Immune Cell Activation by Enterotoxin Gene Cluster (<i>egc<\/i>)-Encoded and Non-<i>egc<\/i> Superantigens from <i>Staphylococcus aureus<\/i>"],"prefix":"10.1093","volume":"181","author":[{"given":"Dorothee","family":"Grumann","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute for Immunology and Transfusion Medicine, University of Greifswald , Greifswald,","place":["Germany"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sandra S","family":"Scharf","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, University of Greifswald , Greifswald,","place":["Germany"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Silva","family":"Holtfreter","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute for Immunology and Transfusion Medicine, University of Greifswald , Greifswald,","place":["Germany"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Christian","family":"Kohler","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute for Microbiology, University of Greifswald , Greifswald,","place":["Germany"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Leif","family":"Steil","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, University of Greifswald , Greifswald,","place":["Germany"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Susanne","family":"Engelmann","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute for Microbiology, University of Greifswald , Greifswald,","place":["Germany"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Michael","family":"Hecker","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute for Microbiology, University of Greifswald , Greifswald,","place":["Germany"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Uwe","family":"V\u00f6lker","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, University of Greifswald , Greifswald,","place":["Germany"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Barbara M","family":"Br\u00f6ker","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute for Immunology and Transfusion Medicine, University of Greifswald , Greifswald,","place":["Germany"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"286","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2008,10,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"2025032700305777900_R1","first-page":"299","article-title":"Bacterial superantigens","volume-title":"Clin. Exp. Immunol.","year":"2003"},{"key":"2025032700305777900_R2","first-page":"2334","article-title":"Standard nomenclature for the superantigens expressed by Staphylococcus","volume-title":"J. Infect. Dis.","year":"2004"},{"key":"2025032700305777900_R3","first-page":"13","article-title":"Staphylococcal superantigens: do they play a role in sepsis?","volume-title":"Arch. Immunol. Ther. Exp. (Warsz)","year":"2005"},{"key":"2025032700305777900_R4","article-title":"Staphylococcal and streptococcal superantigens: an update. M. Kotb, and J. Fraser, eds","volume-title":"Superantigens: Molecular Basis for Their Role in Human Diseases","year":"2007"},{"key":"2025032700305777900_R5","first-page":"77","article-title":"Toxic shock syndrome and bacterial superantigens: an update","volume-title":"Annu. Rev. Microbiol.","year":"2001"},{"key":"2025032700305777900_R6","first-page":"669","article-title":"egc, a highly prevalent operon of enterotoxin gene, forms a putative nursery of superantigens in Staphylococcus aureus","volume-title":"J. Immunol.","year":"2001"},{"key":"2025032700305777900_R7","first-page":"38","article-title":"Identification of a new putative enterotoxin SEU encoded by the egc cluster of Staphylococcus aureus","volume-title":"J. Appl. Microbiol.","year":"2003"},{"key":"2025032700305777900_R8","first-page":"488","article-title":"Systematic survey on the prevalence of genes coding for staphylococcal enterotoxins SElM, SElO, and SElN","volume-title":"Mol. Nutr. Food Res.","year":"2004"},{"key":"2025032700305777900_R9","first-page":"447","article-title":"Relationships between toxin gene content and genetic background in nasal carried isolates of Staphylococcus aureus from Asturias, Spain","volume-title":"FEMS Microb. Lett.","year":"2005"},{"key":"2025032700305777900_R10","first-page":"2669","article-title":"Clonal distribution of superantigen genes in clinical Staphylococcus aureus isolates","volume-title":"J. Clin. Microbiol.","year":"2007"},{"key":"2025032700305777900_R11","first-page":"2446","article-title":"Involvement of enterotoxins G and I in staphylococcal toxic shock syndrome and staphylococcal scarlet fever","volume-title":"J. Clin. Microbiol.","year":"1999"},{"key":"2025032700305777900_R12","first-page":"771","article-title":"Comparative prevalence of superantigen genes in Staphylococcus aureus isolates causing sepsis with and without septic shock","volume-title":"Clin. Infect. Dis.","year":"2005"},{"key":"2025032700305777900_R13","first-page":"339","article-title":"Staphylococcal colonization and infection: homeostasis versus disbalance of human (innate) immunity and bacterial virulence","volume-title":"Curr. Opin. Infect. 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Microbiol.","year":"2002"}],"container-title":["The Journal of Immunology"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/jimmunol\/article-pdf\/181\/7\/5054\/62579695\/7844.pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"syndication"},{"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/jimmunol\/article-pdf\/181\/7\/5054\/62579695\/7844.pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,29]],"date-time":"2025-03-29T21:55:42Z","timestamp":1743285342000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/jimmunol\/article\/181\/7\/5054\/8008197"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2008,10,1]]},"references-count":46,"journal-issue":{"issue":"7","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2008,10,1]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.4049\/jimmunol.181.7.5054","relation":{},"ISSN":["1550-6606","0022-1767"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1550-6606","type":"electronic"},{"value":"0022-1767","type":"print"}],"subject":[],"published-other":{"date-parts":[[2008,10]]},"published":{"date-parts":[[2008,10,1]]}}}