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. 1996 Jan;70(1):1–9. doi: 10.1128/jvi.70.1.1-9.1996

Evidence that the murine AIDS defective virus does not encode a superantigen.

L Doyon 1, C Simard 1, R P Sékaly 1, P Jolicoeur 1
PMCID: PMC189780  PMID: 8523511

Abstract

The T-cell receptor repertoire was analyzed in C57BL/6 mice upon infection with helper-free stocks of the pathogenic murine AIDS (MAIDS) defective virus in order to demonstrate if, as previously reported, this virus encodes a superantigen. A polyclonal T-cell stimulation involving T cells expressing multiple V beta subsets occurred within the first week of infection, while late in the disease we could note only a 50% deletion of V beta 5 CD8+ cells. Transfection of the MAIDS virus genomic DNA into fibroblasts and B cells expressing major histocompatibility complex class II molecules failed to show any stimulation of cells expressing the specific V beta (V beta 5) previously reported to respond to MAIDS virus-infected cells. In addition, mice lacking V beta 5 cells did not show any significant decrease in susceptibility to the disease compared with mice expressing V beta 5 and bred on the same genetic background. Our in vivo and in vitro results fail to demonstrate a role for a superantigen encoded by the MAIDS defective viral genome in the pathogenesis of MAIDS.

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Selected References

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