Viral Superantigen-Induced Negative Selection of TCR
Transgenic CD4+ CD8+ Thymocytes Depends on
Activation, but not Proliferation
Isabel Ferrero,
Fabienne Anjuère,
Iñigo Azcoitia,
Toufic Renno,
H. Robson MacDonald, and
Carlos Ardavín
From the Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Biology, Complutense
University, Madrid, Spain; and the Ludwig Institute for Cancer
Research, Lausanne Branch, University of Lausanne, Epalinges,
Switzerland.
T-cell negative selection, a process by which intrathymic
immunological tolerance is induced, involves the apoptosis-mediated clonal deletion of potentially autoreactive T cells. Although different
experimental approaches suggest that this process is triggered as the
result of activation-mediated cell death, the signal transduction
pathways underlying this process is not fully understood. In the
present report we have used an in vitro system to analyze the cell
activation and proliferation requirements for the deletion of viral
superantigen (SAg)-reactive V
8.1 T-cell receptor (TCR)
transgenic (TG) thymocytes. Our results indicate that in vitro negative
selection of viral SAg-reactive CD4+ CD8+
thymocytes is dependent on thymocyte activation but does not require
the proliferation of the negatively signaled thymocytes.
Blood, Vol. 91 No. 11 (June 1), 1998:
pp. 4248-4254
© 1998 by The American Society of Hematology.
