Superantigen-induced anergy of V beta 8+ CD4+ T cells induces functional but non-proliferative T cells in vivo.
The response profile of staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB)-primed murine V beta 8+ CD4+ and V beta 8+ CD8+ T cells was analysed upon rechallenge in vitro. While in vitro responses to secondary stimulation with SEB were reduced to background levels, the in vivo reactivity after rechallenge with SEB was retained, in that SEB-primed mice succumbed to lethal T-cell shock, lymphokines [interleukin-1 (IL-1), IL-2, Il-4, IL-6, IL-10, interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha)], and lymphokine-specific mRNA accumulation could be detected in V beta 8+ CD4+ and V beta 8+ CD8+ T cells. However, V beta 8+ CD4+ T cells failed to enter the cell cycle. While the phenotype of V beta 8+ CD8+ T cells was indistinguishable from that of their counterparts from naive mice, V beta 8+ CD4+ T cells exhibited in vivo an unusual phenotype as non-proliferative but functional T cells. We conclude that in vitro-defined anergy does not disclose the functional abilities of ligand-reactive V beta 8+ T cells in vivo, and that priming with superantigen (SAg) induces in vivo a differentiation of SEB-reactive V beta 8+ CD4+ T cells into a non-proliferative but functional phenotype.
Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, Technical University of Munich, Germany.
H
H
Gaus
T
T
Miethke
H
H
Wagner
K
K
Heeg
D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D017635:Clonal Anergy; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008222:Lymphokines / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000276:immunology*; D018089:Superantigens / Q000276:immunology*; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology
D004768:Enterotoxins; D008222:Lymphokines; D018089:Superantigens; C031818:enterotoxin B, staphylococcal