An acutely lethal simian immunodeficiency virus stimulates expansion of V beta 7- and V beta 14-expressing T lymphocytes.
SIVsmmPBj14, a variant simian immunodeficiency virus isolated from a pig-tailed macaque, stimulates the proliferation of macaque T lymphocytes in vitro and induces an acutely lethal disease in macaques characterized, in part, by lymphadenopathy and splenomegaly. To determine whether SIVsmmPBj14 exhibits superantigen-like activity, in vitro and in vivo studies of T-cell receptor V beta repertoire were undertaken using PCR-based quantitative methods. Whereas in vitro phytohemagglutinin stimulation of macaque peripheral blood lymphocytes did not cause a perturbation of T-cell receptor V beta repertoire, SIVsmmPBj14 stimulated the expansion of both CD4+ and CD8+ T-lymphocyte subpopulations expressing the V beta 7 and V beta 14 gene families. Such V beta 7 and V beta 14 expansions could be confirmed by a multiple RNase protection assay. Furthermore, the expansion of the same lymphocyte subpopulations was also detected in peripheral blood lymphocytes and lymph node cells of virus-infected macaques. These observations suggest that SIVsmmPBj14-mediated V beta expansion may contribute to the induction of an acutely lethal disease in macaques.
Chen
Z W
ZW
New England Regional Primate Research Center, Harvard Medical School, Southborough, MA 01772.
Kou
Z C
ZC
Shen
L
L
Regan
J D
JD
Lord
C I
CI
Halloran
M
M
Lee-Parritz
D
D
Fultz
P N
PN
Letvin
N L
NL
D000208:Acute Disease; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D016827:CD8 Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D015333:Gene Rearrangement, beta-Chain T-Cell Antigen Receptor; D014644:Genetic Variation; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000276:immunology; D008254:Macaca nemestrina; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000235:genetics*; D016097:Simian Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000276:immunology*; D015302:Simian Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*; D014774:Virulence
D016827:CD8 Antigens; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta