Prolonged survival of SAg-reactive T cells during GVHD.

B6 PLNCs (3 × 10⁴) were injected into sublethally irradiated C.B-17 SCID mice. The percentages of CD4⁺Vβ3⁺ T cells (responding to theMtv-6 SAg expressed by SCID cells) in the spleens (left panel) and peritoneal cavities (right panel) of host mice were determined by flow cytometry after transfer. Whereas SAg-reactive T cells are normally deleted within days to weeks, transferred allogeneic SAg-reactive cells persist in immunodeficient hosts for many months. ♦ indicates a single SCID recipient; B, baseline CD4⁺Vβ3⁺ T cells (%) in the absence of adoptive transfer (n = 24).