Immunological Characteristics between αß TDC and γδ TDC Cells in the Spleen of Breast Cancer-Induced Mice / Características imunológicas entre células TDC αß e TDC γδ no baço de camundongos com câncer de mama induzido

Abstract Objective To evaluate the antitumoral role of γδ TDC cells and αβ TDC cells in an experimental model of breast cancer. Methods Thirty female Balb/c mice were divided into 2 groups: control group (n=15) and induced-4T1 group (n=15), in which the mice received 2 x 105 4T1 mammary tumor cell line. Following the 28-day experimental period, immune cells were collected from the spleen and analyzed by flow cytometry for comparison of αβ TDC (TCRαβ+ CD11c+MHCII+) and γδ TDC (TCRγδ+CD11c+MHCII+) cells regarding surface markers (CD4+ and C8+) and cytokines (IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-12 and IL-17). Results A total of 26.53% of γδ TDC- control group (p<0.0001) - the proportion of αβ TDC was lower in splenic cells than γδ TDC; however, these 2 cell types were reduced in tumor conditions (p<0.0001), and the proportion of IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-12 and IL-17 cytokines produced by γδ TDC was higher than those produced by αβ TDC, but it decreased under conditions of tumor-related immune system response (p<0.0001). Conclusion Healthy mice engrafted with malignant cells 4T1 breast tumor presented TDC with γδ TCR repertoire. These cells express cytotoxic molecules of lymphocytes T, producing anti-tumor proinflammatory cytokines.

Resumo Objetivo Esclarecer o possível papel antitumoral das células TDC γδ e TDC αβ em um modelo experimental de câncer de mama. Métodos Trinta baços de camundongos Balb/c analisados por citometria de fluxo, separados entre grupo controle (n=15) e o grupo tumoral induzido por 4T1 (n=15). Resultados Presença de 26,53% de TDC γδ nos camundongos do grupo controle (p<0,0001), proporção de TDC αβ menor em células esplênicas do que TDC γδ; no entanto, estes dois tipos de células são reduzidos emcondições tumorais (p<0,0001), e a proporção de citocinas IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-12 e IL-17 produzidas pelas célula TDC γδ foi maior do que as produzidas pelas células TDC αβ, mas foram diminuídas sob condições de resposta ao sistema imunológico relacionada ao tumor (p<0,0001). Conclusão Camundongos saudáveis induzidos ao tumor de mama 4T1 apresentaram TDC com repertório TCR γδ. Estas células expressam moléculas citotóxicas de linfócitos T, produzindo citocinas proinflamatórias anti-tumor.

Diversity of the T cell receptor β chain complementarity-determining region 3 in peripheral blood of neonates with sepsis: an analysis based on immune repertoire sequencing / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To investigate the diversity of peripheral blood T cell receptor (TCR) β chain complementarity-determining region 3 (CDR3) based on immune repertoire sequencing in neonates with sepsis and the possible pathogenesis of neonatal sepsis.@*METHODS@#A total of 12 neonates with sepsis were enrolled as the case group, and 9 healthy full-term infants, matched for gestational age, birth weight, and age, were enrolled as the control group. Omega nucleic acid purification kit (SQ blood DNA Kit II) was used to extract DNA from peripheral blood samples, TCR β chain CDR3 was amplified by multiplex PCR, and then high-throughput sequencing was performed for the products to analyze the diversity of TCR β chain CDR3 and the difference in expression.@*RESULTS@#The length and type of TCR β chain CDR3 were similar between the case and control groups, and Gaussian distribution was observed in both groups. With D50 and Shannon-Wiener index as the evaluation indices for diversity, the case group had a significantly lower diversity of TCR β chain CDR3 than the control group (@*CONCLUSIONS@#There is a significant change in the diversity of TCR β chain CDR3 in the peripheral blood of neonates with sepsis, suggesting that it might be associated with the immune pathogenesis of neonatal sepsis.

Preservation of cytotoxic granule production in response to mycobacterial antigens by T-lymphocytes from vertically HIV-infected Brazilian youth on effective combined antiretroviral therapy

ABSTRACT Background: HIV infection harms adaptive cellular immunity mechanisms. Long-term virological control by combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) reduces the risk of mycobacterial infections. Thus, we aimed to study cellular responses to mycobacterial antigens in 20 HIV-infected adolescents with at least one year of virological control (HIV-RNA <40 copies/mL) and 20 healthy adolescents. Methods: We evaluated CD8 and γδ T-cell degranulation by measurement of CD107a membrane expression after stimulation with lysates from BCG (10 µg/mL) and H37RA Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb, 10 µg/mL). Immune activation and antigen-presenting ability were also assessed by determination of HLA-DR, CD80, and CD86 markers. Results: TCR γδ T-cell CD107a expression was similar between groups in response to mycobacterial antigens, and lower in the HIV-infected group in response to mitogen. Higher baseline HLA-DR expression and lower mycobacterial-stimulated expression was found within the HIV-infected group. Conclusions: Similar degranulation in stimulated CD8+ and TCR γδ T-cells from HIV-infected adolescents, when compared to healthy controls suggests long-term immunological preservation with immune reconstitution under successful cART. However, differences in HLA-DR expression may represent ongoing inflammation and lower specific responses in HIV-infected youth. These features may be relevant in the context of the precocity and severity of vertically acquired HIV infection.

Inflammatory Changes in Paravertebral Sympathetic Ganglia in Two Rat Pain Models / 神经科学通报·英文版

Injury to peripheral nerves can lead to neuropathic pain, along with well-studied effects on sensory neurons, including hyperexcitability, abnormal spontaneous activity, and neuroinflammation in the sensory ganglia. Neuropathic pain can be enhanced by sympathetic activity. Peripheral nerve injury may also damage sympathetic axons or expose them to an inflammatory environment. In this study, we examined the lumbar sympathetic ganglion responses to two rat pain models: ligation of the L5 spinal nerve, and local inflammation of the L5 dorsal root ganglion (DRG), which does not involve axotomy. Both models resulted in neuroinflammatory changes in the sympathetic ganglia, as indicated by macrophage responses, satellite glia activation, and increased numbers of T cells, along with very modest increases in sympathetic neuron excitability (but not spontaneous activity) measured in ex vivo recordings. The spinal nerve ligation model generally caused larger responses than DRG inflammation. Plasticity of the sympathetic system should be recognized in studies of sympathetic effects on pain.

T cell receptor β-chain CDR3 spectratyping and cytomegalovirus activation in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients / 浙江大学学报·医学版

To explore the association between T-cell receptor beta variable (TCR BV) complementarity determining region 3 (CDR3) spectratyping and CMV activation in the recipients of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT).Fluorescence quantitative PCR melting curve analysis was used to sequence 24 TCR BV families in 7 HSCT recipients and 3 healthy controls. CMV-pp65 antigenemia was measured by immunohistochemical staining. Plasma IgM specific for CMV was identified using ELISA. Relationship between TCR BV families and CMV activation was statistically analyzed.Twenty-four TCR BV families were expressed in 3 healthy controls, while TCR BV CDR3 sequencing results in 7 recipients turned out to be BV9, BV11, BV17, BV20 and so on. Amino acid sequence features were as follows:TCR BV9 contained "QVRGGTDTQ", TCR BV11 contained "VATDEQ" and "LGDEQ", TCR BV17 contained "IGQGNTEA", and TCR BV20 contained "VGLAANEQ". Five recipients suffered from pp65 antigenemia in 3 month after transplantation, and pp65-positive cells ranged from 2 to 15 per 5×10white blood cells. Three recipients were CMV-IgM positive. No significant differences were found in TCR BV families between pp65-positive recipients and pp65-negative recipients (all>0.05). But there was statistically significant difference in frequency of TCR BV11 between CMV-IgM negative recipients and CMV-IgM positive recipients (<0.05).T cell immune response was characterized by special TCR BV CDR3 spectratyping in HSCT recipients, and TCR BV11 expression may be associated with CMV activation.

Analyses of the TCR repertoire of MHC class II-restricted innate CD4+ T cells

Analysis of the T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoire of innate CD4+ T cells selected by major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II-dependent thymocyte-thymocyte (T-T) interaction (T-T CD4+ T cells) is essential for predicting the characteristics of the antigens that bind to these T cells and for distinguishing T-T CD4+ T cells from other types of innate T cells. Using the TCRmini Tg mouse model, we show that the repertoire of TCRalpha chains in T-T CD4+ T cells was extremely diverse, in contrast to the repertoires previously described for other types of innate T cells. The TCRalpha chain sequences significantly overlapped between T-T CD4+ T cells and conventional CD4+ T cells in the thymus and spleen. However, the diversity of the TCRalpha repertoire of T-T CD4+ T cells seemed to be restricted compared with that of conventional CD4+ T cells. Interestingly, the frequency of the parental OT-II TCRalpha chains was significantly reduced in the process of T-T interaction. This diverse and shifted repertoire in T-T CD4+ T cells has biological relevance in terms of defense against diverse pathogens and a possible regulatory role during peripheral T-T interaction.

Cytotoxicity of T cells transduced with WT1 peptide-specific T-cell receptor gene against human lung cancer cells in vitro / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the cytotoxicity of normal CD8(+) T lymphocytes retrovirally transduced with WT1 peptide-specific T-cell receptor (TCR) genes against human lung cancer cells.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>HLA-A*2402-restricted and WT1 peptide-specific TCR-α/β genes were cloned from a cytotoxic T lymphocyte clone and inserted into a retroviral TCR expression vector. The cytotoxicity of normal peripheral CD8⁺ T cells transduced with the WT1-TCR genes against human lung cancer cells was evaluated using a standard ⁵¹Cr release assay.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The WT1-TCR gene-modified T cells recognized the peptide-pulsed target cells but not the non-pulsed cells. TCR-redirected CD8⁺ T cells lysed WT1-overexpressing human lung cancer cells in an HLA-A*2402-restricted manner, but did not kill normal cells positively expressing HLA-A*2402.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>These data demonstrate the feasibility of adoptive immunotherapy with TCR-redirected T cell for the treatment of lung cancer.</p>

Characterization of human αβTCR repertoire and discovery of D-D fusion in TCRβ chains

The characterization of the human T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoire has made remarkable progress, with most of the work focusing on the TCRβ chains. Here, we analyzed the diversity and complexity of both the TCRα and TCRβ repertoires of three healthy donors. We found that the diversity of the TCRα repertoire is higher than that of the TCRβ repertoire, whereas the usages of the V and J genes tended to be preferential with similar TRAV and TRAJ patterns in all three donors. The V-J pairings, like the V and J gene usages, were slightly preferential. We also found that the TRDV1 gene rearranges with the majority of TRAJ genes, suggesting that TRDV1 is a shared TRAV/DV gene (TRAV42/DV1). Moreover, we uncovered the presence of tandem TRBD (TRB D gene) usage in ~2% of the productive human TCRβ CDR3 sequences.

Clinical phenotype and gene diagnostic analysis of Omenn syndrome / 中华儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>Omenn syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive hereditary severe combined immunodeficiency. The purpose of this study was to understand clinical characteristics and genetic mutation type of Omenn syndrome and to improve the recognition of Omenn syndrome among pediatric clinicians.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>One suspected case of severe combined immunodeficiency was found to have pneumonia repeatedly, intractable diarrhea, poor antibiotic treatment effect, lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly and erythroderma. The patient was diagnosed as having Omenn syndrome by RT-PCR, and the expression of RAG1/RAG2 and gene analysis of RAG1/RAG2 were performed.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>The classification of lymphocyte was CD3(+) cells (35.3%), CD19(+) cells (0.4%), CD16(+) cells (57.6%). After stimulation with phytohemagglutinin (PHA), lymphocyte proliferation of the child was extremely low. Genetic studies showed RAG1 homozygous deletion mutation (2302 del T). He had detectable activated T-lymphocytes with low circulating B-lymphocytes and no evidence of maternal T-cell engrafment as indicated by the short tandem repeat (STR) analysis.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Omenn syndrome is a severe combined immunodeficiency disease caused by mutations in the RAG1/RAG2 gene. The disease has been reported rarely in China. The clinical manifestations of the disease is early postnatal repeated infections and erythroderma. Mutation analysis of RAG1/RAG2 gene may help to confirm the diagnosis and may be useful in early immune reconstitution and genetic counseling.</p>

Comparing TCR beta chain variable gene profile skewness between children with tuberculosis and BCG-vaccinated children

We compared the T cell antigen receptor [TCR-BV] gene families of peripheral blood mononuclear cells [PMBC] between children with tuberculosis [TB] and those inoculated with the Bacille Calmette Guerin [BCG] vaccine. The total RNA was extracted from PMBC of 15 TB children, 15 BCG-vaccinated children and 15 healthy controls. The RNAs were reverse-transcribed and amplified by polymerase chain reaction [PCR]. PCR products were separated on 1.5% agarose gel and analyzed with the Genescan technique. Some TCR-BV gene families in TB children and BCG-vaccinated children exhibited a blur band in the predicted position on 1.5% agarose gel, some showed a distinct or fainted band. In general, many shared predominant clonal TCR-BV gene families [V beta2, V beta16, V beta21, V beta22] and the restricted-expression families [V beta14 and V beta17]. All the gene families of the control children only exhibited blur bands and polyclonal. The skewed profile of TCR-BV gene families in TB children and BCG-vaccinated children are similar, which may probably explain the protective effects of BCG-vaccine against TB in children

Immunogenetic diagnosis of large granular lymphocytic leukemia and therapy by sirolimus / 中国实验血液学杂志

This study was aimed to investigate the immunogenetic diagnosis of large granular lymphocytic leukemia (LGLL) and therapeutic efficacy of sirolimus, and to analysis 256 cases of LGLL reported at home and abroad within 2000 - 2010. Besides the routine examination of peripheral blood and classification of bone marrow cell morphology, the expression of T cell receptor variable region of β-chain (TCR BV), CD3, CD4 and CD8, as well as TCRαβ, TCRγδ were detected by flow cytometry; the RT-PCR was used to amplify and determine the TCR gene spectrotypes, and to analyze the clonality of abnormal cells. Sirolimus was first given to patients who did not gain efficacy from common agents. The results showed that lymphocytosis happened in all LGLL patients, but patients from West countries always displayed neutropenia while Chinese patients always displayed anemia. In 2 out of 4 patients from our hospital, the large granular lymphocytes (LGL) were difficult to be distinguished. In all 4 patients, almost all lymphocytes were CD3(+), CD8(+), and TCRα/β(+). TCR BV 24 gene family clones showed monoclonal TRBV 23, TRBV 20, TRBV 13.6, and TRBV 13.6, respectively. FCM results were consistent with those of RT-PCR. When 4 patients had been given sirolimus (6 mg first dose, 2 mg once a day) for about 1 week, hemoglobin level and reticulocyte count increased significantly without any serious side effects. It is concluded that the detection of specific lymphocyte monoclonal TCR BV 24 gene family by FCM contributes to the diagnosis of LGLL. Sirolimus is an effective agent without serious side effect for LGLL patients, especially for patients who cannot tolerate common drugs.

Células T y sus receptores αß y γδ en biopsias de pacientes con enfermedad periodontal / T cells and its receptords and αß and γδ in biopsies from patients with periodontal disease

El propósito de este estudio es determinar la presencia y localización de las células T y de sus receptores αβ y γδ en biopsias de tejido gingival de pacientes con enfermedad periodontal. Se evaluaron 60 biopsias de 12 pacientes, 4 con diagnostico de periodontitis agresiva, 4 con periodontitis crónica y 4 con gingivitis, las cuales fueron procesados para su análisis histológico, inmunohistoquímico e histomorfometrico. Al analizar los resultados por diagnostico los marcadores que mas predominaron fueron, en Gingivitis CD3, CD8 y TCR γδ en tejido conectivo. En Periodontitis crónica CD3, CD8 y TCR γδ en epitelio oral y CD4 el cual presentó una expresión homogénea en los tejidos analizados. En periodontitis agresiva CD3 y CD8 en epitelio crevicular, con una distribución similar entre CD4 y CD8 tanto en epitelio oral como en tejido conectivo y TCR γδ en conectivo. En cuanto a las cadenas variables del TCR Vβ los más expresados en las diferentes patologías estudiadas fueron el 6.7, 8.1 y 12 a nivel del tejido conectivo. Los estudios sobre la expresión de estas familias parecen indicar que es otra vía de activación a tener en cuenta dentro del modelo de la patogenia de la enfermedad y que debe ser estudiado en modelos longitudinales en pacientes con pérdida de inserción progresiva.

T the purpose of this study is identifying the presence and localization of T cells and their receptor αβ and γδ in biopsies of gingival tissue in patients with periodontal disease. 60 biopsies were evaluated in 12 patients, 4 patients with diagnosis of gingivitis, 4 patients with chronic periodontitis and 4 with aggressive periodontitis, which were processed for the histological, immunohistochemical and histomorphometric analysis. The results by diagnosis showed that in gingivitis the more predominant markers were CD3, CD8 and TCR γδ in connective tissue. In chronic periodontitis the markers with bigger expression were CD3, CD8 and TCR γδ in oral epithelium and CD4 that showed a homogeneous behavior in the analized tissues. In aggressive periodontitis CD3 and CD8 in surcular epithelium, TCR γδ in connective tissue and CD4 and CD8 with a similar distribution in oral epithelium and connective tissue. In relation with variable chains of TCR Vβ, the most predominat in the different diagnosis were 6.7,8.1 and 12 in connective tissue. The investigations about the expression of these families indicate that it can be other important via of activation in the pathogenesis of periodontal disease and it should be study in longitudinal models in patients with progressive loss of attachment level.

An anti-human ovarian carcinoma and CD3 bispecific single-chain antibody mediates CDR3 spectratype drift of T cell receptor alpha and beta chains / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To analyze the drift of T cell receptor (TCR) Vα and Vβ gene family CDR3 spectratype in response to ovarian carcinoma cells mediated by an anti-human ovarian carcinoma/CD3 bispecific single-chain antibody (BHL-1), and explore the mechanism of the bispecific single-chain antibody-mediated T cell immune response.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Immunoscopic spectratyping technique was used to analyze the TCR repertoire diversity (CDR3 spectratype distribution) of the T cells from 6 healthy donors before and after stimulation of the cells with human ovarian carcinoma in the presence of BHL-1. The predominant usage of TCR α and Vβ chain CDR3 was analyzed after the stimulation, and sequence analysis was performed for the CDR3 region of the monoclonal T cells.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The spectratypes of Vα and Vβ gene family TCR CDR3 region showed a Gaussian distribution before stimulation of the T cells from the 6 donors. After stimulation of the T cells, CDR3 spectratype drift occurred in the T cells, and some TCR Vα and Vβ families showed an anomalous and oligoclonal expansion. Different CDR3 sequences of the Vα and Vβ gene family TCR were found in the monoclonal T cells stimulated with BHL-1.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>CDR3 spectratype drift occurs in TCR α and Vβ chains of T cells after stimulation with human ovarian carcinoma cells and BHL-1, indicating that the predominant usage of TCR Vα and Vβ families is associated with the specific T cell immune response mediated by BHL-1.</p>

Distribution and clonality of T cell receptor Vγ and Vδ subfamily in peripheral blood of patients with allergic rhinitis before and after immunotherapy / 中华耳鼻咽喉头颈外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the distribution and clonality of T cell receptor (TCR) Vγ and Vδ subfamily in peripheral blood of patients with allergic rhinitis before and after 1 year treatment with immunotherapy.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The specific IgE and the complementary determinant region 3 (CDR3) of TCR V γ (I-III) and Vδ(1-8) subfamily genes in mononuclear cells were amplified from 10 effective cases of allergic rhinitis before and after 1 year treatment with immunotherapy, to observe the distribution and utilization of TCR Vγ and Vδ repertoire. The positive PCR products were further labeled with RT-PCR and analyzed by gene scan technique to determine the CDR3 size and evaluate the clonality of the detectable TCR Vγ and Vδ T cells. Peripheral blood of 10 healthy adults served as controls.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>All symptoms were significantly improved after 1 year specific immunotherapy, but no changes were seen in specific IgE [(22.89 ± 9.60) kU/L before treatment, (19.62 ± 7.63) kU/L after treatment, Z = 1.051, P > 0.05]. No statistically significant differences of expression levels of the TCR Vγ I-III subfamily genes were found between patients with allergic rhinitis normal control group (t value were -0.679, -0.516, -0.808, all P > 0.05), but significantly decreased after 1 year treatment. There were statistically significant differences of expression levels of the TCR VγI-II subfamily genes before and after treatment (t value were -2.904, -2.217, all P < 0.05). 5.30 ± 0.82, 4.90 ± 0.57 and 5.20 ± 1.40 out of TCR Vδ (1-8) subfamilies were selectively expressed in T cells in patients with allergic rhinitis before and after 1 year treatment and normal control group, predominantly for TCR Vδ 1, 2, 3 and 6. The TCR Vδ 6 subfamily was found to have statistically significant differences in these groups (Fisher's Exact Test, P < 0.05). Compared with the normal control group and the allergic rhinitis group before treatment, a significant higher frequency of Vδ 6 oligoclonal was identified in T cells in patients with allergic rhinitis after 1 year treatment.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>There was difference in the expression levels of the TCR Vγ I-III subfamily genes and distribution and clonality of TCR Vγ and Vδ subfamily T cells in peripheral blood of patients with allergic rhinitis before and after 1 year treatment. Specific immunotherapy can be effective in alleviation of the symptom in patients with allergic rhinitis during the early stage, possibly by inducing TCR γδ T cells, especially the TCR Vδ6 subfamily, and possibly no significant relativity between symptom and specific IgE.</p>

The in vitro proliferation and cytokine production of Vα24+Vβ11+ natural killer T cells in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Activation in vitro of natural killer T (NKT) cells in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with α-galactosylceramide (α-GalCer) and dendritic cells (DC) may affect the immunoregulatory role of NKT cells. This study was designed to compare the number of NKT cells in patients with SLE to the number in healthy volunteers and measure the cytokines secreted from these NKT cells in vitro.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Three sets of culture conditions using (i) α-GalCer, (ii) DC, or (iii) both α-GalCer and DC (α-GalCer+DC) were adopted to expand NKT cells from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of patients with SLE and healthy volunteers. Flow cytometry was used to assess the levels of interleukin (IL)-4, IL-10, interferon (IFN)-γ and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α produced by the Vα24(+)Vβ11(+) NKT cells.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>After 14 days in culture, the total cell count and percentage of Vα24(+)Vβ11(+) NKT cells were increased under all conditions but were highest in the α-GalCer+DC group. The level of IL-4 and IL-10 secreted by Vα24(+)Vβ11(+) NKT cells from patients with active SLE was found to be higher than that of inactive patients and the control group (P < 0.05), while the levels of IFN-γ and TNF-α were lower than those found in the inactive and control groups (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Vα24(+)Vβ11(+) NKT cells showed the greatest expansion in vitro with α-GalCer and DC. Th2-type cytokines from Vα24(+)Vβ11(+) NKT cells are the predominant type in patients with SLE, while Th1 cytokines predominate in the control group. This evolution of NKT cell function during the progression of the disease may have important implications in understanding the mechanism of SLE and for the development of possible therapies using NKT cell agonists.</p>

T cell receptor constant alpha chain gene +1592C/T polymorphism may not be associated with IgA nephropathy / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the relationship between T cell receptor constant alpha chain (TCRCα) gene +1592C/T polymorphism and IgA nephropathy.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>TCRCα +1592C/T genotypes were identified by PCR-RFLP and direct sequencing in 244 Chinese Han patients with IgA nephropathy, who were classified according to their genotype into CC (188 cases), CT (54 cases) and TT (2 cases) groups. The clinical and pathological data of the patients were analyzed in relation to the TCRCα +1592C/T genotypes.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>No significant differences in the clinical and biochemical indices were found in these patients with different TCRCα gene +1592C/T genotypes. TCRCα +1592C/T polymorphism was not found to contribute to severity or manifestations of renal pathology.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>TCRCα+1592C/T polymorphism may not be associated with the susceptibility to IgA nephropathy in the Chinese Han population.</p>

Significance of TCR gene clonal rearrangement analysis in diagnosis of mycosis fungoides / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the significance of detecting TCR gene clonal rearrangement in the diagnosis of mycosis fungoides (MF) and to optimize the primers used for detecting the TCR gene clonal rearrangement with PCR in paraffin embedded tissues of MF.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Nineteen cases of MF were enrolled into the study. A panel of 10 antibodies were used for immunophenotypic analysis and polymerase chain reaction for TCR-γ and TCR-β gene rearrangement detection in this study.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>TCR gene clonal rearrangements were detected in all 19 cases, in which 84.2% cases (16/19) had TCR-γ gene clonal rearrangements. The positive rates of the primers T(VG)/T(JX), V(2-5)/V(8-12)/JGT(1) and BIOMED-2-TCR-γ were 47.4%, 78.9% and 31.6%, respectively. The positive rate of V(2-5)/V(8-12)/JGT(1) was statistically significantly higher than that of T(VG)/T(JX) and BIOMED-2-TCR-γ (P < 0.05). No TCR gene clonal rearrangement was detected using the primers V(γ11)/V(γ101)/Jγ12 and V(γ11)/V(γ101)/J(p12). TCR-β gene clonal rearrangement was detected in 31.6% (6/19) cases.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>TCR gene clonal rearrangement analysis is a useful tool in the diagnosis of MF and TCR-γ gene is a good target gene for the detection. The primers T(VG)/T(JX), V(2-5)/V(8-12)/JGT(1) and BIOMED-2-TCR-γ can be used in clinicopathologic detection for TCR gene clonal rearrangement and V(2-5)/V(8-12)/JGT(1) may be the first choice.</p>

The presence of CD8+ invariant NKT cells in mice

Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells develop in the thymus upon recognition of CD1d expressed on developing thymocytes. Although CD4 and CD8 coreceptors are not directly involved in the interaction between CD1d and the T cell receptors (TCRs) of iNKT cells, a conspicuous lack of CD8+ iNKT cells in mice raised the question of whether CD8+ iNKT cells are excluded due to negative selection during their thymic development, or if there is no lineage commitment for the development of murine CD8+ iNKT cells. To address this question, we analyzed iNKT cell-specific TCR Valpha14+ transgenic mice, where the Valpha14 transgene forces the generation of iNKT cells. This allows detailed study of the iNKT cell repertoire. We were able to identify CD8+ iNKT cells which respond to the NKT cell-specific glycolipid ligand alpha-galactosylceramide. Unlike conventional iNKT cells, CD8+ iNKT cells produce predominantly IFN-gamma but not IL-4 upon antigen stimulation. We also confirmed the presence of CD8+ iNKT cells in wild type mice. Our results suggest that CD8+ NKT cells do exist in mice, although their population size is quite small. Their Th1-skewed phenotype might explain why the population size of this subtype needs to be controlled tightly.

Inhibition of collagen-induced arthritis by DNA vaccines encoding TCR Vbeta5.2 and TCR Vbeta8.2 / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Arthritogenic T lymphocytes with common T cell receptor (TCR) Vbeta clonotypes, infiltrating in the articulars of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, play a central role in the pathogenesis of RA. TCR Vbeta5.2 and TCR Vbeta8.2 are the main pathogenic T cell clonotypes in the course of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) progression in Lewis rats. To investigate a TCR-based immunotherapy for RA, we constructed recombinant DNA vaccines encoding TCR Vbeta5.2 and TCR Vbeta8.2, and evaluated the inhibitive effects of the two vaccines on CIA rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Genes encoding TCR Vbeta5.2 and TCR Vbeta8.2 were amplified by RT-PCR from spleen lymphocytes of Lewis rats and cloned into the eukaryotic expression vector pTargeT. The expression of vaccines was confirmed by RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. The inhibitive effects of the vaccines on articulars of CIA rats were assessed with arthritis index evaluation and histology. Interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) and interleukin (IL)-4 production by spleen lymphocytes were tested with enzyme-linked immunospot assay (ELISPOT) technique, the changes in peripheral CD4(+) and CD8(+) lymphocyte populations were tested by flow cytometry, and the level of anti-CII antibody in serum was assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Recombinant DNA vaccines pTargeT-TCR Vbeta5.2 and pTargeT-pTCR Vbeta8.2 were successfully constructed. Both vaccines inhibited CIA, which alleviated the arthritis index score (P < 0.05), decreased the level of IFN-gamma (P < 0.05), and reduced the ratio of CD4(+)/CD8(+) lymphocytes (P < 0.05) and the anti-CII antibody in serum (P < 0.05). In addition, the histological change in DNA-vaccinated rats was less serious than CIA rats. Compared to pTCR Vbeta 8.2 and pTCR Vbeta 5.2 groups, the group that was injected with a combination of the two vaccines showed stronger inhibitive effects on CIA than either individual vaccine.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The recombinant plasmids pTargeT-TCR Vbeta5.2 and pTargeT-TCR Vbeta8.2 have obvious inhibatory effects on CIA rats and better effects could be achieved when the vaccines were used in combination.</p>

Detection of Putative T cell Clones Using T cell Receptor beta Chain Gene Clonality Assay in Korean Patients with Aplastic Anemia / 대한진단검사의학회지

BACKGROUND: We analyzed T cell receptor beta chain (TCRB) gene to investigate the presence of putative T cell clones and its clinicopathologic implications in Korean patients with aplastic anemia (AA). METHODS: Twenty-nine bone marrow specimens were collected from 20 AA patients, 19 specimens from initial diagnosis and 10 from follow-up. T cell clonality assay was performed using IdentiClone(TM) TCRB Gene Clonality Assay kit (InVivoScirbe Technology, USA) and automatic genetic analyzer. Patients' clinical information and laboratory parameters were also analyzed. RESULTS: Five patients had definitive underlying factors related with aplastic anemia, such as hepatitis B virus (4 cases) and benzene exposure (1 case). Putative T cell clones were detected in bone marrow specimens of 11 (58%) out of 19 patients at diagnosis. The location of putative T cell clones of TCRB gene (diversity region, Dbeta; joining region, Jbeta; variable region, Vbeta) was distributed in Dbeta2+Jbeta2 (6 cases), Dbeta1+Jbeta1 (3 cases), Vbeta+Jbeta1 (2 cases), and Dbeta1+Jbeta2 (2 cases). Interestingly, among seven patients who underwent stem cell transplantation, five patients with no T cell clones detected at diagnosis developed new T cell clones during the follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Putative pathogenetic T cell clones were detected in most of AA patients in the current study. T cell clonality assay would be useful for investigating the pathophysiology of acquired AA.