Induction of thymocyte apoptosis in mice by Yersinia enterocolitica products.
In-vivo administration of the culture supernates from Yersinia enterocolitica resulted in thymus atrophy in C3H/HeJ mice, known to be lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-nonresponders. The thymocytes underwent apoptosis as characterised by fragmented DNA ladders on agarose gel electrophoresis, a cell death detection ELISA and a morphological study by the TUNEL reaction. As a control, LPS treatment did not induce thymocyte apoptosis in C3H/HeJ mice. Flow cytometric analysis indicated that thymus atrophy was due predominantly to the deletion of CD4+ CD8+ T cells. When cells were undergoing apoptosis, an elevation in the percentage of T-cell receptor (TCR)-alphabeta(high) cells was observed at 24 h, which was correlated with the increase in the percentages of cells expressing high levels of the Vbeta6 and Vbeta8 TCR. Gel electrophoretic analysis demonstrated the presence of protein bands with mol.wts ranging from 17 to 65 kDa in Y. enterocolitica culture supernates.
Lin
Y S
YS
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, National Cheng Kung University Medical College, Tainan, Taiwan, Republic of China.
Chen
K H
KH
Kuo
C F
CF
Huang
K J
KJ
Wu
J J
JJ
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D001284:Atrophy; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000633:toxicity; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000633:toxicity; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000378:metabolism; D018089:Superantigens; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D015008:Yersinia enterocolitica / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity*
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta; D018089:Superantigens