The expansion of a CD4+ T cell population bearing a distinctive beta chain in MRL lpr/lpr mice suggests a role for the fas protein in peripheral T cell selection.
MRL lpr/lpr mice suffer from a systemic lupus erythematosus-like autoimmune disease. The lpr mutation impairs the normal transcription of the fas message, the product of which mediates apoptosis and presumably the proper selection of T cells. We have found an early expansion of CD4+ T cells bearing a distinctive V beta 8.3-D beta 1.1-J beta 1.1 T cell receptor beta chain in the periphery of MRL lpr/lpr mice, which was not detected in MRL +/+ mice nor in the thymus of MRL lpr/lpr mice. Thus, since thymic selection is normal in MRL lpr/lpr mice, we propose that the lpr mutation results in defective negative selection at the periphery.
Musette
P
P
Unité INSERM U 277, Département d'Immunologie, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.
Pannetier
C
C
Gachelin
G
G
Kourilsky
P
P
D000818:Animals; D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000502:physiology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D019014:fas Receptor
D000954:Antigens, Surface; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta; D019014:fas Receptor