T cells bearing Vbeta8 are preferentially infected with exogenous mouse mammary tumor virus.
We previously reported that a mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV(II-TES14)), encoding a superantigen specific for TCR Vbeta14, can infect lymph node (LN) cells of mice in an I-E-independent manner. Here we examined the kinetics of cell types infected with exogenous MMTV in the draining LN after s.c. injection of II-TES milk containing MMTV(II-TES14). The infectivity was assessed in LN cells sorted into each cell subset by a semiquantitative analysis of MMTV provirus using PCR with a primer specific for MMTV(II-TES14). Only B cells in the LN were infected by the MMTV on day 6 after injection, but CD8+ T cells and, to a lesser extent, CD4+ T cells were also found to be detectably infected on day 14 after the injection of II-TES milk. Among the T cells we examined, Vbeta8 T cells were most preferentially infected with MMTV, but no Vbeta14 T cells specific for MMTV(II-TES14) superantigen were infected on day 14 after infection. The transfer of Vbeta8 T cells sorted from mice injected with II-TES milk 14 days previously resulted in the deletion of CD4+ Vbeta14 T cells and in the MMTV infection of normal B6 mice. No MMTV infection of T cells occurred in IgM knockout mice, which lack a mature B cell compartment. These results suggest that MMTV surviving in B cells is transferred to Vbeta8 T cells, which may play an important role in MMTV longevity.
Upragarin
N
N
Laboratory of Host Defense and Germfree Life, Research Institute for Disease Mechanism and Control, Nagoya University School of Medicine, Japan.
Nishimura
H
H
Wajjwalku
W
W
Ando
Y
Y
Nagafuchi
S
S
Watanabe
T
T
Yoshikai
Y
Y
D000818:Animals; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000502:physiology*; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*; D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D005260:Female; D015333:Gene Rearrangement, beta-Chain T-Cell Antigen Receptor; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II / Q000276:immunology; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000172:deficiency; D007279:Injections, Subcutaneous; D008325:Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000821:virology; D008324:Mammary Tumor Virus, Mouse / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D008892:Milk / Q000821:virology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011485:Protein Binding; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000235:genetics*; D012192:Retroviridae Infections / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology; D018089:Superantigens / Q000502:physiology*; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*; D014412:Tumor Virus Infections / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology
D000956:Antigens, Viral; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II; C024138:I-E-antigen; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D012367:RNA, Viral; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta; D018089:Superantigens