Specific Immuno Capturing of the Staphylococcal Superantigen Toxic-Shock Syndrome Toxin-1 in Plasma

Toxic-shock syndrome is primarily caused by the Toxic-shock syndrome toxin 1 (TSST-1), which is secreted by the Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus. The toxin belongs to a family of superantigens (SAgs) which exhibit several shared biological properties, including the induction of massive cytokine release and V-beta-specific T-cell proliferation. In this study we explored the possibility to use monoclonal Variable domains of Llama Heavy-chain antibodies (VHH) in the immuno capturing of TSST-1. from plasma. Data is presented that the selected VHHs arc highly specific for TSST-1 and can be efficiently produced in large amounts in yeast. In view of affinity chromatography, the VHHs are easily coupled to beads, and are able to deplete TSST-1 from plasma at very low, for example, pathologically relevant, concentrations. When spiked with 4ng/ml, TSST-1 more than 96% of TSST-1 was depleted from pig plasma. These data pave the way to further explore application of high-affinity columns in the specific immuno depletion of SAgs in experimental sepsis models and in sepsis in humans.