V beta 8+CD4-CD8- subpopulation induced by staphylococcal enterotoxin B

Injection of staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) into BALB/c mice induced the depletion of V beta 8+ T-cells which were either V beta 8+CD4+ or V beta 8+CD8+ cells. The CD8 molecule on V beta 8+CD8+ cells was found to decrease at 72 h after SEB treatment while the V beta 8 molecule on V beta 8+ cells or CD4 molecule on V beta 8+CD4+ cells was not affected. Furthermore, a subpopulation of V beta 8+CD4-CD8- T-cells was also induced after SEB-priming. This subpopulation can be found in spleen or lymph nodes. It was small in size and constituted the major part of V beta 8+ cells in lymph nodes at 72 h after SEB-priming. Some of the V beta 8+CD4-CD8- T-cells might be autoreactive because they could be stimulated to proliferative by syngenic mitomycin C-treated splenocytes.