Construction of a LukS-PV Mutant of a Staphylococcal Panton-Valentine Leukocidin Component having a High LukS-like Function

Abstract

  A 2-residue (D¹²I¹³) segment of LukS of a staphylococcal leukocidin component is an essential region for the hemolytic function of LukS towards rabbit erythrocytes in the presence of LukF. Here, we report that insertion of D, I, or AA residue(s) between A¹¹ and E¹² residues of LukS-PV, in which the 2-residue D¹²I¹³ segment in LukS was absent, confers the full LukS function on LukS-PV, which has only 4% hemolytic activity of that of LukS towards rabbit erythrocytes.