Staphylococcal enterotoxin B induces arthritis in female DBA/1 mice but fails to induce activation of type II collagen-reactive lymphocytes.
It has been proposed that superantigens are involved in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. To test the possibility of superantigens inducing arthritis in naive mice, V beta 8-reactive superantigen staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) was injected into naive mice. We used female DBA/1 mice, because they were susceptible to collagen-induced arthritis (CIA), in which the pathogenic T cells were supposed to preferentially use limited V betas of T cell receptors including V beta 8. Mild monoarthritis developed in uninjected hindlimbs of mice administered with SEB in higher frequency (an average incidence of 24%) than the control phosphate-buffered saline-injected mice (4.2%). Autoimmune responses in mice administered with SEB were compared with those in mice developing CIA. However, activation of type II collagen (IIC)-reactive T cells was not detected in SEB-injected mice. Production of autoantibodies, anti-IIC antibody and rheumatoid factor was also undetected. Although exact mechanisms of pathogenesis of this arthritis remain to be known, V beta 8+ T cells were activated for a long period and the unresponsiveness of V beta 8+ T cells was not detected in this strain. From these results, we discuss the pathogenesis of arthritis induced by SEB and the possibility that superantigen may play a role in the induction of autoimmune diseases.
Omata
S
S
Department of Immunology, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Medicine, Kitakyusyu, Japan.
Sasaki
T
T
Kakimoto
K
K
Yamashita
U
U
D000818:Animals; D001169:Arthritis, Experimental / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology*; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000096:biosynthesis; D003094:Collagen / Q000276:immunology* / Q000494:pharmacology; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D051379:Mice; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000276:immunology; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000276:immunology*; D018089:Superantigens / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000276:immunology; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism
D001323:Autoantibodies; D004768:Enterotoxins; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta; D018089:Superantigens; C031818:enterotoxin B, staphylococcal; D003094:Collagen