ISSN: 2311-3278
Chanaka Mendis, Meghan Murphy, Mark Hiner, Rachel Staab, Nabarun Chakraborthy, Marti Jett and Megan Linebach
Staphylococcal enterotoxin B, an exotoxin produced by staphylococcal aureus, is commonly associated with food poisoning and capable of triggering flu-like symptoms resembling those of endotoxins such as lipopolysaccharide released from Gram negative bacterial cell walls. Even though both exhibit analogous symptoms, each has its unique gene expression profile. Here we have successfully distinguished two toxins that display similar symptomsin human peripheral blood mononuclear cells using multiple gene expression analysis. Human peripheral bloodmononuclear cells are the most easily accessible bio fluid, and include informative transcripts as a first line of immune defense for many disease processes and toxin exposures. Thirty genes that provided a unique geneticsignature to differentiate exposures to the two toxins were first identified through microarray analysis and thenvalidated by using multiple gene and protein quantitation techniques such as reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, real time polymerase chain reaction and Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. We believe that this study will provide valuable information to future investigations aimed at predicting, identifying and isolating various diseasestates and/or aberrant exposures in a short time period.