Gram-positive bacteria cause a broad spectrum of infection-related diseases in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised hosts, ranging from localized infections to severe systemic conditions such as septic and toxic shock syndromes. This situation has been aggravated by the recent emergence of multidrug-resistant strains, thus stressing the need for alternative therapeutic approaches. One such possibility would be modulating the host's immune response. Herein, the potential use of a soluble form of the scavenger-like human lymphocyte receptor CD6 (shCD6) belonging to an ancient family of innate immune receptors has been evaluated. shCD6 can bind to a broad spectrum of gram-positive bacteria thanks to the recognition of highly conserved cell wall components (lipoteichoic acid [LTA] and peptidoglycan [PGN]), which are essential for their viability and pathogenicity and are not amenable to antibiotic resistance. shCD6 has in vitro inhibitory effects on both bacterial growth and Toll-like receptor-mediated inflammatory response induced by LTA plus PGN. In vivo infusion of shCD6 improves survival on mouse models of septic shock by Staphylococcus aureus (either multidrug-resistant or -sensitive) or their endotoxins (LTA + PGN) or exotoxins (TSST-1). These results support the use of shCD6 and/or other scavenger-like immune receptors in the treatment of severe gram-positive-induced infectious conditions.
Keywords: CD6; Staphylococcus aureus; gram-positive bacteria; lipoteichoic acid; peptidoglycan; scavenger receptors; sepsis; superantigens; toxic shock.