<unk>  is a phenol-soluble modulin peptide. Because of this, the cytotoxins that are produced upon a S.<unk>  infection, including<unk>  toxin, are proinflammatory molecules.<unk>  toxin is also a chemoattractant for leukocytes, leading to a surge of cytokines such as interleukin-8 from neutrophils at an infection site.<unk>  toxin molecules activate a G-protein-coupled receptor expressed in leukocytes called formyl-peptide receptor 2 (FPR2), which binds metabolites to inhibit and lower inflammation. Thus,<unk>  toxin molecules trigger inflammation that needs to be modulated by FPR2.<unk>  toxin also has moderate cytolytic abilities to lyse red and white blood cells through the use of short-lived pores in the cytoplasmic membrane. The toxin then uses host tissue as nutrients required for further S.<unk>  bacteria growth.<unk>  toxin specifically causes mast cell degranulation, contributing to allergic reactions of the skin like atopic dermatitis. This reaction is only caused by<unk>  toxin, rather than the other toxins produced by S.<unk> , proving that PSM peptides have evolved to fulfill different roles in pathogenesis. PSMs, like S.<unk><unk>  toxin, can prevent the activation and proliferations of CD4+ T cells, depending on interleukin-10 and TFG-beta activations. This would result in a down regulation of the adaptive immune response, potentially increasing pathogenic tolerance. This is a hypothesis as to why S.<unk>  is so virulent; S.<unk>  bacteria are able to modulate the organism’s immune system to evade it.<unk>  toxin is quite heat-stable, unlike S.<unk>  alpha and beta toxins. However, the addition of lecithin specifically prevents<unk>  toxin from lysing cells.<unk>  toxin activity can also both enhanced and prevented with saturated, straight-chain fatty acids of varying lengths. Phospholipids 13 to 19 carbons in length enhanced the lytic activity of<unk>  toxin, whereas those that were 21 to 23 carbons long were inhibitory. The length of the fatty acid chain could be related to the binding of the toxin to the membrane to be effective, as those phospholipids with longer tails prevent the toxin from getting close enough to the membrane.
Staphylococcus aureus delta toxin
Toxic shock syndrome toxin
BeKm-1 toxin
Vanillotoxin
Grammotoxin
Phoneutria nigriventer toxin-3
Maitotoxin
Psalmotoxin