2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) induces Fas-dependent activation-induced cell death in superantigen-primed T cells.
Immune response against a foreign antigen is characterized by a growth phase, in which antigen-specific T cells clonally expand, followed by a decline phase in which the activated T cells undergo apoptosis, a process termed activation-induced cell death (AICD). In the current study, we have investigated the phase at which 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo- p-dioxin (TCDD) acts to downregulate the antigen-specific T cell response. To this end, C57BL/6 +/+ mice were injected with staphylococcal enterotoxin A (SEA) into the footpads (10 micro g/footpad), and simultaneously treated with TCDD (10 or 50 micro g/kg intraperitoneally). At various time points, the draining lymph node (LN) cells were analyzed for SEA-activated T cells. The data demonstrated that in C57BL/6 +/+ mice, TCDD treatment did not alter the growth phase but facilitated the decline phase of SEA-reactive T cells. TCDD caused a significant decrease in the percentage and absolute numbers of CD4(+) and CD8(+) SEA-responsive T cells expressing Vbeta3(+) and Vbeta11(+) but did not affect SEA-nonresponsive Vbeta8(+) T cells. Upon in vitro culture, TCDD-exposed SEA-immunized LN cells exhibited increased levels of apoptosis when compared with the vehicle controls. When Fas-deficient (C57BL/6 lpr/lpr) or Fas ligand defective (C57BL/6 gld/gld) mice were treated with TCDD, they failed to exhibit a decrease in percentage and cellularity of SEA-reactive T cells, thereby suggesting a role of Fas-Fas ligand interactions in the TCDD-induced downregulation of SEA-reactive T cell response. The resistance to TCDD-induced decrease in T cell responsiveness to SEA seen in Fas- and FasL-mutant mice was neither due to decreased aryl hydrocabon receptor (AhR) expression nor to altered T cell responsiveness to SEA. The current study demonstrates that TCDD does not prevent T cell activation, but prematurely induces Fas-based AICD, which may contribute to the deletion of antigen-primed T cells.
Camacho
Iris A
IA
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical College of Virginia Campus, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA.
Nagarkatti
Mitzi
M
Nagarkatti
Prakash S
PS
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D015536:Down-Regulation; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D005260:Female; D007369:Interferon Inducers / Q000276:immunology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D000072317:Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins / Q000633:toxicity*; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000276:immunology; D018089:Superantigens / Q000494:pharmacology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D019014:fas Receptor / Q000378:metabolism*
D004768:Enterotoxins; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D007369:Interferon Inducers; D000072317:Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins; D018089:Superantigens; D019014:fas Receptor; C026066:enterotoxin A, Staphylococcal