SUPERANTIGENS

The endogenous superantigens (the enigmatic minor lymphocyte-stimulating antigens) have been identified they are encoded by integrated mouse mammary tumor viruses. The retroviral superantigens appear to be transmembrane glycoproteins, and their highly variable extracellular carboxyl terminus is responsible for V-beta-interaction. In spite of intensive efforts the precise structure-function relationship for the superantigens is not yet clear. The most important consequences of the introduction of the superantigens in vivo are shock and T-cell depletion and anergy. The search for novel superantigens related to human diseases has started.