Abstract
SUPERANTIGENS1–4 bind class II major histocompatibility pro-teins5,6 and stimulate powerful proliferative responses of T lymphocytes bearing particular Vβ sequences as part of their αβ antigen receptor7. Exogenous bacterial superantigens are respon-sible for food poisoning and toxic shock syndrome. Murine virus-encoded self-superantigens induce clonal deletion of T lym-phocytes. Although superantigen-like properties have been suggested for human immunodeficiency virus-1, no viral superantigen has been identified in humans8. Here we report that the nucleocapsid of the rabies virus is an exogenous superantigen specific for Vβ8 human T lymphocytes which binds to HLA class II α-chains.
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Lafon, M., Lafage, M., Martinez-Arends, A. et al. Evidence for a viral superantigen in humans. Nature 358, 507–510 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1038/358507a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/358507a0
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