[Study of the NKT cell subsets with superantigen SEB-activated tolerance].
OBJECTIVE
To study the NKT cell subsets and their differentiation.


METHODS
Splenic lymphocytes from C57BL/J mice that had received SEB treatment were collected as effector cells on the 10(th) day. The cells were cultured in medium containing ConA, LPS and IL-2 for 3 days and measured their response to mitogens and cytokine. The inhibitory action of the effector cells was examined. The effector cells were cultured with normal lymphocytes and above mitogens or cytokine for 3 day. The cells proliferation was assessed with MTT method.The NKT cell subsets among these effector cells with the tolerance function were analyzed and their differentiation sources and correlation of functions were detected by flow cytometry.


RESULTS
The response of SEB-activated effector cells to ConA, LPS and IL-2 was significantly decreased compared with that of normal lymphocytes. The A values of cell proliferation were decreased from 0.80+/-0.04, 0.60+/-0.03 and 0.55+/-0.07 in control groups to 0.60+/-0.05, 0.30+/-0.05 and 0.27+/-0.04 in effector groups, respectively (P<0.01, n=3).The inhibitory ability of effectors cells against the response of normal lymphocytes to ConA, LPS and IL-2 were clearly observed. They inhibited the response of normal lymphocytes to several mitogens and cytokine. And the A values of cell proliferation were decreased to 0.26+/-0.02, 0.48+/-0.04 and 0.34+/-0.02, respectively (P<0.01, n=3). The CD4(+)NK1.1(+), CD8(+)NK1.1(+), TcRV8(+)NK1.1(+) NKT cell subsets among SEB-activated effector cells with tolerance function were significantly increased and shown that they come from T cell population. And the CD4(-)CD8(-)/NK1.1(+)CD3(+)NKT cells by ConA or SEB-activated were shown coming from NK cell population.


CONCLUSIONS
The effector cells with tolerance function activated by superantigen SEB relate to CD4(+)NK1.1(+), CD8(+)NK1.1(+), TcRVbeta8(+)NK1.1(+) NKT cell subsets. The NKT cell subsets come from T cells. The CD4(-)CD8(-)/NK1.1(+)CD3(+)NKT cells differentiating from NK cells are not involved in the regulation of tolerance.
Department of Immunology General Hospital of PLA, Beijing 100853, China. leoyu0323@yahoo.com.cn
Yu
Y
Chen
Jiang
J
Zhong
Jian
J
Xu
Zhong-Cai
ZC
Chen
Ye-Lei
YL
Guo
Ting
T
Jin
Ji-Hui
JH
Zhang
D000818:Animals; D015704:CD4 Antigens; D016827:CD8 Antigens; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003208:Concanavalin A / Q000494:pharmacology; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D007108:Immune Tolerance / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000494:pharmacology; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D055611:Natural Killer T-Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology
D015704:CD4 Antigens; D016827:CD8 Antigens; D004768:Enterotoxins; D007376:Interleukin-2; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D003208:Concanavalin A; C031818:enterotoxin B, staphylococcal