Staphylococcus Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Staphylococcus, including details on mrsa, hospitals, infection, antibiotic resistance, superbugs.

alphaB-crystallin protects retinal tissue during Staphylococcus aureus-induced endophthalmitis.

Whiston EA, Sugi N, Kamradt MC, Sack C, Heimer SR, Engelbert M, Wawrousek EF, Gilmore MS, Ksander BR, Gregory MS

The Schepens Eye Research Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, 20 Staniford Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA.

Bacterial infections of the eye highlight a dilemma that is central to all immune-privileged sites. On the one hand, immune privilege limits inflammation to prevent bystander destruction of normal tissue and loss of vision. On the other hand, bacterial infections require a robust inflammatory response for rapid clearance of the pathogen. We demonstrate that the retina handles this dilemma, in part, by activation of a protective heat shock protein. During Staphylococcus aureus-induced endophthalmitis, the small heat shock protein alphaB-crystallin is upregulated in the retina and prevents apoptosis during immune clearance of the bacteria. In the absence of alphaB-crystallin, mice display increased retinal apoptosis and retinal damage. We found that S. aureus produces a protease capable of cleaving alphaB-crystallin to a form that coincides with increased retinal apoptosis and tissue destruction. We conclude that alphaB-crystallin is important in protecting sensitive retinal tissue during destructive inflammation that occurs during bacterial endophthalmitis.

Published 19 March 2008 in Infect Immun, 76(4): 1781-90.
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