title: CD4 expression is important but not essential for infection with exogenous mouse mammary tumor virus.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Nagoya University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ando
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wajjwalku
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kishihara
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Arai
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Niimi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hiromatsu
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Morishima
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yoshikai
mesh_terms: 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*
chemical_list: D015704:CD4 Antigens; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta; D018089:Superantigens