Abstract
Toxic shock syndrome toxin (TSST)-1 is a superantigen known to profoundly induce proinflammatory cytokines by activation of Vβ-specific αβ T cells, but its effect on γδ T cells, which normally constitute 1%–5% of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), is unclear. Here, we demonstrate that TSST-1 induced significantly higher levels of interferon (IFN)-γ, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and interleukin (IL)-2, and a lower level of IL-10 in human PBMCs when the γδ subpopulation has been primed by isopentylpyrophosphate, compared with that in control PBMCs. Furthermore, depletion of the γδ subpopulation completely abrogated this effect. Thus, peripheral γδ T cells markedly modulate both the proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokine responses of TSST-1.

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