title: Limiting the available T cell receptor repertoire modifies acute lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus-induced immunopathology.
abstract: The invariably fatal immunopathological disease that follows intracerebral injection of CBA/Ca (H-2k) mice with 1000 PFU of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) generally fails to develop in congenic mice transgenic for a V beta 8.1D beta 2J beta 2.3C beta 2 T cell receptor (TCR) gene. The majority of these LCMV-infected TCR-transgenic mice show a substantial meningitis of delayed onset, that resolves without causing any obvious clinical impairment. This inflammatory process depends on the involvement of V beta 8+ T cells, but does not require the participation of the CD4+ subset. The cytotoxic effectors that develop in both the transgenic mice and the CBA/Ca controls are lytic for target cells infected with a vaccinia construct expressing genes encoding the putative polymerase protein of LCMV. Limiting the available TCR repertoire to lymphocytes with a single V beta phenotype (not required for the generation of potent effectors in wild-type mice) thus modifies the development of the lethal neuropathology characteristic of LCMV infection, although the CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocyte response is not greatly compromised.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105.
authors.forename: P C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Doherty
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.forename: C F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Whitton
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Oldstone
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Blackman
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D008216:Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008808:Mice, Inbred CBA; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000502:physiology*; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta