Identifying modifiable risk factors as a step toward high blood pressure control: Benjamin F. Banahan III, Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Mississippi, University, Mississippi; Thomas R. Sharpe

Abstract

To identify the functional region(s) associated with induction of gamma interferon on the staphylococcal enterotoxin A molecule, native staphylococcal enterotoxin A molecules and 12 various synthetic peptides corresponding to different regions of entire staphylococcal enterotoxin A were compared to induce gamma interferon production in murine spleen cells. The native staphylococcal enterotoxin A molecule induced gamma interferon production, whereas all of the 12 synthetic peptides did not. Pre-treatment of the murine spleen cells with synthetic peptide A-9 (corresponding to amino acid residues 161–180) significantly inhibited the staphylococcal enterotoxin A-induced gamma interferon production, whereas those with other synthetic peptides did not. When native staphylococcal enterotoxin A was pre-treated with either anti-staphylococcal enterotoxin A serum or anti-peptide sera, anti-staphylococcal enterotoxin A serum and antisera to peptides A-1 (1–20), A-7 (121–140), A-8 (141–160), A-9 (161–180) and A-10 (181–200) inhibited the staphylococcal enterotoxin A-induced gamma interferon production. From these findings, the amino acid residues 161–180 on the staphylococcal enterotoxin A molecule may be an essential region for murine gamma interferon production. Furthermore, the neutralizing epitopes may be also located on regions of amino acid residues 1–20, 121–140, 141–160 and 181–200 on the staphylococcal enterotoxin A molecule.