title: Induction of selective anergy by toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 in CD8+ T cells.
abstract: Interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) mRNA expression of murine splenic CD8+ T cells in response to toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1) was examined in vitro. In primary response to TSST-1, purified CD8+ cells expressed a low frequency of IFN-gamma mRNA and produced very little interleukin-2 (IL-2) compared with unseparated lymphocytes and purified CD4+ cells. The addition of IL-2 to the cell culture enhanced IFN-gamma mRNA expression in the CD8+ population. Upon restimulation with TSST-1, no IL-2 production and hardly any IFN-gamma mRNA expression were observed in the purified CD8+ lymphoblasts. Exogenously added IL-2 did not increase the IFN-gamma mRNA expression in purified CD8+ blasts exposed to TSST-1. In contrast, stimulation with concanavalin A induced a high frequency of IFN-gamma mRNA in purified CD8+ blasts. Moreover, TSST-1 induced strong IFN-gamma mRNA expression in unseparated T lymphoblasts and purified CD4+ populations. Interestingly, a combined immunocytochemistry and in situ hybridization technique showed a high frequency of CD8+ IFN-gamma mRNA-expressing cells in an unseparated blast population. These results demonstrate that TSST-1 induces a selective anergy within the purified CD8- T-cell compartment and that the IFN-gamma mRNA expression in CD8+ T blasts can be achieved by stimulation of unseparated T cells with TSST-1.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, University of Göteborg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Y X
authors.initials: YX
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Holmdahl
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tarkowski
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D002455:Cell Division / Q000276:immunology; D017635:Clonal Anergy; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000276:immunology; D018089:Superantigens / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D004768:Enterotoxins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D018089:Superantigens; C030107:enterotoxin F, Staphylococcal; D007371:Interferon-gamma