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Staphylococcal enterotoxin B up‐regulates interleukin‐2 receptor β chain expression on tonsillar B cells
Author(s) -
Franz Annette,
Bryant Annette,
Farrant John
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
european journal of immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.272
H-Index - 201
eISSN - 1521-4141
pISSN - 0014-2980
DOI - 10.1002/eji.1830231047
Subject(s) - biology , enterotoxin , receptor , interleukin 4 , microbiology and biotechnology , immunology , cytokine , gene , genetics , escherichia coli
Abstract The superantigen staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) selectively up‐regulates the interleukin‐2 receptor (IL‐2R) β chain (p70) without up‐regulating the IL‐2R a chain (CD25) on a human tonsillar B cell population depleted of T cells. This action of SEB, probably mediated by binding to major histocompatibility complex class II, renders B cells sensitive to T cell‐derived IL‐2 and is sufficient for induction of vigorous DNA synthesis with low concentrations of IL‐2. This explains one of the mechanisms by which bacterial superantigens activate large numbers of B cells and may reflect a similar mechanism operative in cognate helper T cell/B cell interactions.