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.
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.
Musette
P
P
Unité de Biologie Moléculaire du Gène, unité INSERM U277, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.
Galelli
A
A
Chabre
H
H
Callard
P
P
Peumans
W
W
Truffa-Bachi
P
P
Kourilsky
P
P
Gachelin
G
G
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*
D000939:Epitopes; D037102:Lectins; D037121:Plant Lectins; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta; D018089:Superantigens; C048862:stinging nettle lectin