Exfoliatin

Exfoliatin is a Staphylococcus aureus exotoxin that causes a blistering of the skin known as staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome, usually in infants.

Exfoliatins are glutamate-specific serine proteases highly specific to the cadherin desmoglein I, an adhesion protein in the desmosomes of the stratum granulosum that facilitates intracelluar adhesion between keratinocytes. The resulting vesicles are an intraepidermal clefts between the stratum corneum and stratum spinosum and is located above the basal cells (suprabasal). A very similar non-infectious condition is seen in the autoimmune skin disorder pemphigus vulgaris in which there is an IgG antibody against the cadherin desmoglein 3.