title: Leukaemic T cells from patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia of T-cell origin respond to Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin superantigens.
abstract: We investigated the in vitro responsiveness of peripheral blood lymphocytes from two patients with T-cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (T-CLL) to Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin (SE) superantigens. T-cell receptor (TcR) alpha beta (V beta 7.1)-expressing CD4+ leukaemic T cells from patient HE (white blood cell count 480,000/microliters) proliferated in response to SEA and, only at 1000-fold higher concentrations, to SEB, SED, and SEE. CD4+CD8+ TcR alpha beta (V beta 12.1)-expressing leukaemic T cells from patient KO (white blood cell count 120,000/microliters) were activated by SEB but not by the other tested SEs. In both instances, the activation of leukaemic T cells by SE was dependent on the presence of HLA-DR+ cells. Southern blot analysis of TcR beta gene rearrangement confirmed that the proliferating cells were derived from the leukaemic T-cell clone and not from contaminating normal T cells. These data indicate that leukaemic T cells from patients with T-CLL exert a clonally variable responsiveness to SE superantigens. We conclude that recognition of specific antigen and subsequent signal transduction can be initiated via the TcR of leukaemic T-CLL cells.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Immunologie, Universität Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Metzger
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Melmer
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schondelmaier
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Heckl-Ostreicher
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nerl
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pechhold
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Epplen
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kabelitz
mesh_terms: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D002469:Cell Separation; D002999:Clone Cells; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000276:immunology*; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D015461:Leukemia, Prolymphocytic, T-Cell / Q000473:pathology*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000737:chemistry*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology*
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D004768:Enterotoxins; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta