In vivo effects of a recombinant vaccinia virus expressing a mouse mammary tumor virus superantigen.
Early after infection, the mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) expresses a superantigen (SAg) at the surface of B lymphocytes. Interaction with the T-cell receptor Vbeta domain induces a polyclonal proliferative response of the SAg-reactive T cells. Stimulated T cells become anergic and are deleted from the T-cell repertoire. We have used a recombinant vaccinia virus encoding the MMTV(GR) SAg to dissect the effects of the retroviral SAg during an unrelated viral infection. Subcutaneous infection with this recombinant vaccinia virus induces a very rapid increase of Vbeta14 T cells in the draining lymph node. This stimulation does not require a large Plumber of infectious particles and is not strictly dependent on the expression of the major histocompatibility complex class II I-E molecule, as it is required after MMTV(GR) infection. In contrast to MMTV infection during which B cells are infected, we do not observe any clonal deletion of the reactive T cells following the initial stimulation phase. Our data show that contrary to the case with MMTV, macrophages but not B cells are the targets of infection by vaccinia virus in the lymph node, indicating the ability of these cells to present a retroviral SAg. The altered SAg expression in a different target cell observed during recombinant vaccinia virus infection therefore results in significant changes in the SAg response.
Krummenacher
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Institute for Microbiology, University of Lausanne, Switzerland.
Diggelmann
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Acha-Orbea
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D000818:Animals; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D017931:DNA Primers; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D015870:Gene Expression; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D008324:Mammary Tumor Virus, Mouse / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000276:immunology*; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D018089:Superantigens / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D013997:Time Factors; D014615:Vaccinia / Q000276:immunology*; D014616:Vaccinia virus / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D010948:Viral Plaque Assay; D014779:Virus Replication
D000956:Antigens, Viral; D017931:DNA Primers; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta; D018089:Superantigens