CD4 expression is important but not essential for infection with exogenous mouse mammary tumor virus.
We studied local events in the popliteal lymph nodes of CD4-deficient mice following foot pad injection with an MMTV strain which carries the gene for a V beta 14-specific superantigen. Injection of the V beta 14-specific MMTV induced vigorous expansion of V beta 14+ CD4+ T cells and B cells in their lymph nodes of CD4+/- heterozygous control mice. On the other hand, CD4-/- mice injected with the MMTV showed a proliferation of V beta 14+ T cells among the population of TCR alpha beta + CD4-CD8- T cells, although to a lesser extent. This phenomenon was not accompanied by vigorous B cell expansion. A PCR assay revelated that the MMTV definitely infected the lymph nodes cells of the CD4-/- mouse. However, the infectivity of the MMTV in CD4-/- mice was approximately 20 times lower than that in CD4+/- mice. These findings indicate that, in MMTV infection of CD4-deficient mice, the superantigen-reactive T cells among the population of TCR alpha beta +CD4-CD8- T cells substitute for the superantigen-reactive CD4- T cells of normal mice, and that the absence of CD4 molecules decreased the infectivity of MMTV because of insufficient expansion of the superantigen-reactive T cells.
Ando
Y
Y
Department of Pediatrics, Nagoya University School of Medicine, Japan.
Wajjwalku
W
W
Kishihara
K
K
Arai
T
T
Niimi
N
N
Hiromatsu
K
K
Morishima
T
T
Yoshikai
Y
Y
D000818:Animals; D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000276:immunology*; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D008324:Mammary Tumor Virus, Mouse / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008817:Mice, Mutant Strains; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000276:immunology; D012192:Retroviridae Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D018089:Superantigens / Q000276:immunology; D014412:Tumor Virus Infections / Q000276:immunology*
D015704:CD4 Antigens; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta; D018089:Superantigens