Induce the release of calcium from internal stores within neuronal cells (285). Sublytic concentrations of HlgCB, and, to a lesser extent, HlgAB and PVL, are capable of stimulating glutamate release from cerebellar granular neurons. The release of glutamate was subsequently determined to be a direct consequence of alterations in intracellular calcium release that were induced by leucocidin cellular engagement (285). As a result of this study, it has been suggested that the leucocidins could foreseeably play a role in neuronal tissue damage, thereby influencing the perception of pain during invasive infection with S. aureus. A recent study suggested that S. aureus is indeed able to directly induce sensations of pain through the action of a pore-forming toxin (in this case, alpha-hemolysin) on nociceptive neurons; however, the bicomponent leucocidins were not implicated (286). Thus, the biological functions of glutamate release caused by HlgCB on granular neurons remain to be determined.MIXED PORES AND TOXIN SYNERGISMThe genes encoding the S and F subunits of a given leucocidin (LukED, LukAB, LukSF-PV, LukMF=, and HlgCB) sit directly adjacent to one another in the S. aureus chromosome and are cotranscribed (Fig. 4). The pairing of the S subunit with its genetically linked F subunit always results in the formation of an active toxin on target host immune cells. As such, native pairings of leucocid-June 2014 Volume 78 Numbermmbr.asm.orgAlonzo and Torresins are assumed to be the most common biologically active toxins seen in vivo. However, the high degree of sequence similarity among the leucocidins and the SCR7 biological activity unconventional pairing of HlgA with HlgB, despite being purchase BMS-5 translated from independent transcripts, imply that other mixed pairings of leucocidins may be able to form biologically active toxins capable of causing lytic activity or influencing the responses of host cells. Indeed, Prevost et al. performed studies with mixed-subunit pairings of gamma-hemolysin and PVL and found that while hemolytic activity was restricted to pairings of gamma-hemolysin subunits only, PMN lytic activity was not (98). Combinations of LukF-PV and either HlgA or HlgC and combinations of HlgB and LukS-PV caused lysis of primary PMNs (98). In addition, Colin and Monteil provided compelling evidence that mixed pairings of gamma-hemolysin and PVL subunits can induce immune cell activation by priming neutrophils with similar capacities (265). Upon the identification of LukED, additional combinations of leucocidin subunits were found to have lytic activity on both RBCs and PMNs. Hemolytic activity was seen for a number of nonconventional subunit combinations, including LukE plus HlgB, HlgA plus LukD, and HlgA plus LukF-PV (93). An even greater repertoire of toxin combinations exhibited activity on PMNs, as determined by induction of calcium mobilization. However, measurement of ethidium bromide uptake as a readout for pore formation demonstrated that mixed subunits of gamma-hemolysin and PVL were the only toxin combinations capable of inducing robust cell lysis, consistent with what had previously been described (93). In contrast, Morinaga et al. demonstrated that their identified “variant” of LukED (later determined to be highly conserved in nearly all sequenced strains of S. aureus) could form active toxins through nonconventional subunit pairings of both PVL and gamma-hemolysin subunits, indicating that the overall diversity of active toxins can become quite large (9.Induce the release of calcium from internal stores within neuronal cells (285). Sublytic concentrations of HlgCB, and, to a lesser extent, HlgAB and PVL, are capable of stimulating glutamate release from cerebellar granular neurons. The release of glutamate was subsequently determined to be a direct consequence of alterations in intracellular calcium release that were induced by leucocidin cellular engagement (285). As a result of this study, it has been suggested that the leucocidins could foreseeably play a role in neuronal tissue damage, thereby influencing the perception of pain during invasive infection with S. aureus. A recent study suggested that S. aureus is indeed able to directly induce sensations of pain through the action of a pore-forming toxin (in this case, alpha-hemolysin) on nociceptive neurons; however, the bicomponent leucocidins were not implicated (286). Thus, the biological functions of glutamate release caused by HlgCB on granular neurons remain to be determined.MIXED PORES AND TOXIN SYNERGISMThe genes encoding the S and F subunits of a given leucocidin (LukED, LukAB, LukSF-PV, LukMF=, and HlgCB) sit directly adjacent to one another in the S. aureus chromosome and are cotranscribed (Fig. 4). The pairing of the S subunit with its genetically linked F subunit always results in the formation of an active toxin on target host immune cells. As such, native pairings of leucocid-June 2014 Volume 78 Numbermmbr.asm.orgAlonzo and Torresins are assumed to be the most common biologically active toxins seen in vivo. However, the high degree of sequence similarity among the leucocidins and the unconventional pairing of HlgA with HlgB, despite being translated from independent transcripts, imply that other mixed pairings of leucocidins may be able to form biologically active toxins capable of causing lytic activity or influencing the responses of host cells. Indeed, Prevost et al. performed studies with mixed-subunit pairings of gamma-hemolysin and PVL and found that while hemolytic activity was restricted to pairings of gamma-hemolysin subunits only, PMN lytic activity was not (98). Combinations of LukF-PV and either HlgA or HlgC and combinations of HlgB and LukS-PV caused lysis of primary PMNs (98). In addition, Colin and Monteil provided compelling evidence that mixed pairings of gamma-hemolysin and PVL subunits can induce immune cell activation by priming neutrophils with similar capacities (265). Upon the identification of LukED, additional combinations of leucocidin subunits were found to have lytic activity on both RBCs and PMNs. Hemolytic activity was seen for a number of nonconventional subunit combinations, including LukE plus HlgB, HlgA plus LukD, and HlgA plus LukF-PV (93). An even greater repertoire of toxin combinations exhibited activity on PMNs, as determined by induction of calcium mobilization. However, measurement of ethidium bromide uptake as a readout for pore formation demonstrated that mixed subunits of gamma-hemolysin and PVL were the only toxin combinations capable of inducing robust cell lysis, consistent with what had previously been described (93). In contrast, Morinaga et al. demonstrated that their identified “variant” of LukED (later determined to be highly conserved in nearly all sequenced strains of S. aureus) could form active toxins through nonconventional subunit pairings of both PVL and gamma-hemolysin subunits, indicating that the overall diversity of active toxins can become quite large (9.