Staphylococcal enterotoxin B promotes deletion and functional inactivation of CD4V beta 8-positive cells in the absence of CD8 T cells.
The staphylococcal enterotoxins stimulate discrete subsets of T cells depending on their expression of particular V genes. Among these, staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) vigorously stimulates V beta 8+ cells. This stimulation results in proliferation of both CD4+V beta 8+ and CD8+ T cells and eventually to anergy and clonal deletion in the former subset. We have examined the possible role of CD8+ T cells in the response of CD4+ cells to SEB, by in vivo CD8+ T-cell-depletion. We found no qualitative difference in the responses of untreated and CD8+ T-cell depleted mice to SEB; however, a small quantitative difference in deletion was observed. Thus it appears that on the whole the response of CD4+V beta 8+ T cells to SEB is independent of CD8+ T-cell effector function, although the latter may play a partial role.
Williams
O
O
Centro de Biología Molecular (CSIC), Universidad Autónoma, Madrid, Spain.
Gonzalo
J A
JA
Martínez
C
C
D000818:Animals; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000032:analysis; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000502:physiology*; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000502:physiology*
D004768:Enterotoxins; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta; C075784:T cell receptor Vbeta8; C031818:enterotoxin B, staphylococcal