Analysis of the TCR Vβ Specificities of Bacterial Superantigens Using PCR

Several bacterial proteins have been recently identified as superantigens which stimulate large numbers of T cells expressing particular T-cell receptor (TCR) Vβ elements. This suggests important roles for these proteins in the pathogenesis of bacterial infections. However, before the superantigenic property can be assigned to a particular protein, the purity needs to be carefully evaluated and several measures need to be taken to rule out the presence of minute amounts of contamination by other superantigens such as bacterial toxins. Here we describe a technique that can be used effectively to address this problem. This technique exploits the fact that superantigens have a signature Vβ specificity and, therefore, analysis by PCR of TCR Vβ gene expression which shows the Vβ expansion profile can be used to determine the superantigenicity of a protein and to detect cross-contamination by other superantigens. 1993 Academic