SUPPRESSION OF THE IN VIVO HUMORAL AND CELLULAR IMMUNE RESPONSE BY STAPHYLOCOCCAL ENTEROTOXIN B (SEB)

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
SUMMARY In vitro blast transformation of mouse spleen and lymph node cells occurs in response to staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB), as measured by 3H-thymidine incorporation. This response appears to be similar to the stimulation by phytohaemagglutinin. Treatment with SEB immediately after skin grafting suppressed a first, but not a second-set allograft rejection in mice. Syngeneic lymph node cells stimulated in vitro by SEB and adoptively transferred to normal mice failed to transfer suppression of graft rejection. Immediate injection of SEB following immunization with sheep red blood cells exhibited a markedly suppressed plaque-forming and rosette-forming cell response, whereas no suppression of the antibody response to a thymus-indendent antigen Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide, was observed. Introduction of SEB after the second immunization with sheep red blood cells showed no significant suppression effect in plaque formation. Formalinized or heat-treated SEB destroyed the mitogenic and immunosuppressive capability as tested by 3H-thymidine incorporation, skin rejection, and plaque formation. It is suggested that the mechanism of this immunosuppression involved the interaction of SEB with T cells, which in some manner block T cell function in the early recognition stage, probably through nonspecific mitogenic activity.

This publication has 1 reference indexed in Scilit: