ANALYSIS OF T-CELL RECEPTOR V-BETA EXPRESSION IN RABBIT T-LYMPHOCYTESINDUCED TO PROLIFERATE BY AN HTLV-I-TRANSFORMED LEUKEMOGENIC T-CELL LINE

Peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) from rabbits of the Chbb:HM strain proliferated in coculture with an X-ray-irradiated HTLV-I-transformed leukemogenic cell line of (B/J x Chbb:HM) Fl origin, whereas PBL from rabbits of the B/J and F1 strains hardly proliferated at all in co-cul ture with the same cell line. A proviral HTLV-I genome was detected in high-molecular-mass DNA from these proliferating cells. An analysis o f T cell receptor V beta expression revealed that these lymphocytes we re of restricted V beta subfamilies, suggesting that the preferential stimulation and transformation of lymphocytes occurred in this co-cult ure. Staphylococcal enterotoxins similarly stimulated lymphocytes and the proliferated lymphocytes were mostly of distinct V beta subfamilie s depending on stimulator enterotoxins. These results suggested that t he leukemogenic cell line possesses an antigen that preferentially sti mulates lymphocytes of restricted V beta subfamilies.