Superantigen Immune Stimulation Evokes Epithelial Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein 1 and RANTES Production

Bacterial superantigens (SAgs) have been implicated in inflammatory disease, and SAg-treated mice have increased jejunal T cells. Here we show that T84 cells (a human epithelial cell line) display increased MCP-1 and RANTES mRNA expression and protein production in response to conditioned medium from Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin B (SEB; a model SAg)-activated immune cells. Also, MCP-1 and RANTES mRNAs were increased in jejunal enterocytes isolated from SEB-treated mice. We suggest that T-cell recruitment to the gut following SAg immune activation could be partially due to epithelium-derived chemokines.