Endogenous superantigen expression is controlled by mouse mammary tumor proviral loci.
Superantigens are defined by their ability to stimulate T cells based predominantly on their V beta expression and ability to delete T cells in the thymus when expressed endogenously. We show here that the expression of one endogenous superantigen, Etc-1, is controlled by the expression of the open reading frame region of the 3' long terminal repeat of the mouse mammary tumor proviral gene, Mtv-9. We show that Mtv-8 controls a superantigen with similar specificity, and that both Mtv-8 and Mtv-9 stimulate some V beta 17+ T cells. A third provirus, Mtv-6, controls a superantigen with specificity for V beta 3. Data presented raise the possibility that endogenous superantigens may compete for class II molecules in a single B cell.
Woodland
D L
DL
Department of Immunology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 38105.
Lund
F E
FE
Happ
M P
MP
Blackman
M A
MA
Palmer
E
E
Corley
R B
RB
D000818:Animals; D000941:Antigens / Q000032:analysis*; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D017988:Gammaretrovirus / Q000235:genetics*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D011533:Proviruses / Q000235:genetics*; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000032:analysis*; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D014162:Transfection
D000941:Antigens; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell