title: Urtica dioica agglutinin, a V beta 8.3-specific superantigen, prevents the development of the systemic lupus erythematosus-like pathology of MRL lpr/lpr mice.
abstract: The V beta 8.3-specific superantigenic lectin Urtica dioica agglutinin (UDA) was used to delete the V beta 8.3+ T cells in MRL lpr/lpr mice. In contrast to the systemic lupus erythematosus-like pathology which progresses with age in the phosphate-buffered saline-injected MRL lpr/lpr controls, UDA-treated animals did not develop overt clinical signs of lupus and nephritis. The pathogenic T cell clones thus reside within the V beta 8.3+ T cell population, which includes an expanded T cell clone described previously. Finally, UDA alters the production of autoantibodies in a sex-dependent manner.
authors.affiliation: Unité de Biologie Moléculaire du Gène, unité INSERM U277, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Musette
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Galelli
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chabre
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Callard
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Peumans
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Truffa-Bachi
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kourilsky
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gachelin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000939:Epitopes / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D037102:Lectins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008817:Mice, Mutant Strains; D037121:Plant Lectins; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000276:immunology*; D018089:Superantigens / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000939:Epitopes; D037102:Lectins; D037121:Plant Lectins; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta; D018089:Superantigens; C048862:stinging nettle lectin