title: Superantigens increase the survival of mice bearing T cell lymphomas by inducing apoptosis of neoplastic cells.
abstract: Superantigens bind to major histocompatibility complex class II molecules and interact with T cells expressing a particular T cell receptor Vβ inducing a strong proliferation/deletion response of the superantigen-reactive T cells. However, there have been no attempts to investigate the ability of Sags to induce apoptosis in neoplastic T cells by signaling through the Vβ region of their TCR. In the present study we show that bacterial and MMTV-encoded superantigens induce the apoptosis of AKR/J cognate lymphoma T cells both in vitro and in vivo. The Fas-Fas-L pathway was shown to be involved in the apoptosis of lymphoma T cells induced by bacterial superantigens. In vivo exposure to bacterial superantigens was able to improve the survival of lymphoma bearing mice. Moreover, the permanent expression of a retroviral encoded superantigen induced the complete remission of an aggressive lymphoma in a high percentage of mice. The possibility of a therapeutic use of superantigens in lymphoma/leukemia T cell malignancies is discussed.
authors.affiliation: ILEX-CONICET, División Medicina Experimental, Instituto de Investigaciones Hematológicas, Academia Nacional de Medicina, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Juliana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mundiñano
authors.forename: Paula M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Berguer
authors.forename: Gabriel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cabrera
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lorenzo
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Nepomnaschy
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Piazzon
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000737:chemistry; D017209:Apoptosis; D002470:Cell Survival; D018920:Coculture Techniques; D053222:Fas Ligand Protein / Q000096:biosynthesis; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D016399:Lymphoma, T-Cell / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008324:Mammary Tumor Virus, Mouse / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000378:metabolism; D018089:Superantigens / Q000378:metabolism*; D019014:fas Receptor / Q000096:biosynthesis
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D053222:Fas Ligand Protein; C505658:Fasl protein, mouse; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell; D018089:Superantigens; D019014:fas Receptor