title: Clonal anergy to staphylococcal enterotoxin B in vivo: selective effects on T cell subsets and lymphokines.
abstract: Injection of bacterial superantigens such as staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) in adult mice results in initial proliferation of SEB-responsive V beta 8+ T cells followed by induction of a state of non-responsiveness frequently referred to as clonal anergy. We show here that SEB-induced anergy involves selective changes in lymphokine production and that it affects CD4+ V beta 8+ and CD8+ V beta 8+ T cells in different fashions. Whereas both CD4+ V beta 8+ and CD8+ V beta 8+ cells from anergic mice exhibit strongly reduced proliferative capacity and interleukin(IL)-2 production upon restimulation with SEB either in vivo or in vitro the CD8+ subset from SEB-injected mice produces other lymphokines (such as interferon(IFN)-gamma) at normal or slightly increased levels in response to SEB. Changes in the levels of production of IL-2 and IFN-gamma protein correlated well with mRNA accumulation both in vivo and in vitro. Collectively these data suggest that superantigen-induced anergy involves selective changes in signal transduction and/or gene regulation in T lymphocytes.
authors.affiliation: Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Lausanne Branch, Epalinges, Switzerland.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Baschieri
authors.forename: R K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Lees
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Lussow
authors.forename: H R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: MacDonald
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D016827:CD8 Antigens / Q000378:metabolism; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000276:immunology*; D015870:Gene Expression; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D008222:Lymphokines / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000378:metabolism; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000276:immunology; D018089:Superantigens; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D016827:CD8 Antigens; D004768:Enterotoxins; D008222:Lymphokines; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta; D018089:Superantigens; C031818:enterotoxin B, staphylococcal