Skewed V beta TCR repertoire of CD8+ T cells in murine Trypanosoma cruzi infection.
We have followed CD4 and CD8 TCR V beta repertoires during the acute phase of Trypanosoma cruzi infection in a resistant mouse strain (C57BL/6). No major changes were found in the V beta TCR distributions analyzed (covering roughly 40% of the TCR repertoire) in peripheral CD4 T lymphocytes, confirming the polyclonal nature of CD4 T cell responses. In contrast, in most animals, an over-representation of V beta 5 and V beta 14 TCR families was disclosed in the CD8 T cell compartment, superimposed on a predominantly polyclonal response. The preferential expansion of V beta 5+CD8+ T cells was also observed after infection of sensitive (C3H/HeJ, BALB/c) mouse strains. These observations suggest the existence of CD8 T cell-directed superantigenic activities associated with parasites.
Leite-de-Moraes
M C
MC
Unité d'Immunoparasitologie, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.
Coutinho
A
A
Hontebeyrie-Joskowicz
M
M
Minoprio
P
P
Eisen
H
H
Bandeira
A
A
D000818:Animals; D016827:CD8 Antigens / Q000032:analysis*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000276:immunology*; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics*; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
D016827:CD8 Antigens; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta