Abstract
Superantigens (SAgs) produced by Staphylococcus aureus at high concentrations induce proliferation of T cells bearing specific TCR Vβ sequences and massive cytokinemia that cause toxic shock syndrome. However, the biological relevance of SAgs produced at very low concentrations during asymptomatic colonization or chronic infections is not understood. In this study, we demonstrate that suboptimal stimulation of human PBMCs with a low concentration (1 ng/ml) of staphylococcal enterotoxin C1, at which half-maximal T cell proliferation was observed, induced CD8+CD25+ T cells expressing markers related to regulatory T cells (Tregs), such as IFN-γ, IL-10, TGF-β, FOXP3, CD28, CTLA4, TNFR2, CD45RO, and HLA-DR. Importantly, these CD8+CD25+ T cells suppressed responder cell proliferation mediated in contact-dependent and soluble factor-dependent manners, involving galectin-1 and granzymes, respectively. In contrast, optimal stimulation of human PBMCs with a high concentration (1 μg/ml) of staphylococcal enterotoxin C1, at which maximal T cell proliferation was observed, also induced similar expression of markers related to Tregs, including FOXP3 in CD8+CD25+ cells, but these T cells were not functionally immunosuppressive. We further demonstrated that SAg-induced TCR Vβ-restricted and MHC class II-restricted expansion of immunosuppressive CD8+CD25+ T cells is independent of CD4+ T cells. Our results suggest that the concentration of SAg strongly affects the functional characteristics of activated T cells, and low concentrations of SAg produced during asymptomatic colonization or chronic S. aureus infection induce immunosuppressive CD8+ Tregs, potentially promoting colonization, propagation, and invasion of S. aureus in the host.