Staphylococcus aureus produces pore-forming toxins, such as α-hemolysin, that damage epithelial cell layers, causing disease. In this issue, Inoshima et al. report that the cellular receptor for α-hemolysin—the metalloprotease ADAM10—is essential for lethal pneumonia caused by S. aureus infection in mice. The authors suggest that the combined effect of α-hemolysin on pore formation and in activating ADAM10 cleavage of the adherens junction protein E-cadherin disrupts the barrier function of the lung epithelium.
- Ichiro Inoshima
- Naoko Inoshima
- Juliane Bubeck Wardenburg
