title: The superantigen Staphylococcus enterotoxin B induces a strong and accelerated secondary T-cell response rather than anergy.
abstract: The primary and secondary immune response of V beta 8+ T cells to the bacterial superantigen Staphylococcus enterotoxin B was compared in BALB/c mice. Secondary responder T cells were found to up-regulate the expression of the adhesion molecule LFA-1 faster, and to enter the cell cycle earlier than primary responder T cells. Both, primary and secondary responder T cells upregulate the expression of CD2 and CD25 and turn into blast cells with superimposable time kinetics. Secondary responder T cells terminate DNA synthesis, blast formation and the upregulation of CD25 and CD2 expression earlier than primary responder T cells and become more rapidly deleted. Two days after superantigen challenge, when primary responder T cells reach peak activity in terms of DNA synthesis and blast formation, secondary responder T cells have returned to the size of microblasts and ceased to replicate their DNA. Whereas our results are consistent with the observations leading to the concept of superantigen-induced T-cell anergy, they demonstrate, by revealing the accelerated vigorous secondary T-cell response to the superantigen, that this concept requires reconsideration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology/Oncology, Children's University Hospital, Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schultz
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Geiselhart
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sappler
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Niethammer
authors.forename: M K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.forename: G E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Dannecker
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018801:CD2 Antigens / Q000378:metabolism; D002455:Cell Division / Q000276:immunology; D017635:Clonal Anergy; D017637:Clonal Deletion; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000276:immunology*; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000378:metabolism; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2 / Q000378:metabolism; D018089:Superantigens / Q000276:immunology*; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D018801:CD2 Antigens; D004768:Enterotoxins; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2; D018089:Superantigens; C075784:T cell receptor Vbeta8; C031818:enterotoxin B, staphylococcal