Staphylococcus aureus protein A induces airway epithelial inflammatory responses by activating TNFR1

Staphylococcus aureus is a major human pathogen that is associated with diverse types of local and systemic infection characterized by inflammation dominated by polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Staphylococci frequently cause pneumonia, and these clinical isolates often have increased expression of protein A, suggesting that this protein may have a role in virulence. Here we show that TNFR1, a receptor for tumor-necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) that is widely distributed on the airway epithelium, is a receptor for protein A. We also show that the protein A - TNFR1 signaling pathway has a central role in the pathogenesis of staphylococcal pneumonia.