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Oligoclonal expansion of T cell receptor V beta 2 and 3 cells in the livers of mice with graft‐versus‐host disease
Author(s) -
Chen Weiran,
Howell Charles D.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
hepatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.488
H-Index - 361
eISSN - 1527-3350
pISSN - 0270-9139
DOI - 10.1053/jhep.2002.30363
Subject(s) - beta (programming language) , graft versus host disease , disease , receptor , host (biology) , immunology , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , medicine , pathology , genetics , computer science , programming language
The nonsuppurrative destructive cholangitis lesions in the B10.D2 (donor) into BALB/c (host) mouse graft‐versus‐host disease (GVHD) model are dependent on CD4 T cells that use a T cell receptor‐β chain variable region (Vβ) repertoire, which is heavily biased toward Vβ2 and Vβ3 usage. We hypothesized that liver Vβ2 + and Vβ3 + CD4 T cells originate from donor mice and recognize BALB/c minor histocompatibility alloantigens and BALB/c endogenous retroviral superantigen‐6, respectively. To test this hypothesis, we determined the donor:host chimera status of infiltrating liver lymphocytes and the clonal states of liver Vβ2 + and liver Vβ3 + CD4 cells isolated from GVHD mice. A limited donor TCR Vβ repertoire composed of Vβ1 + , 2 + , 3 + , 4 + , 6 + , and 8 + cells infiltrated the livers of GVHD mice on day 3. Consistent with a response to immunodominant host minor histocompatibility antigens, we detected oligoclonal liver Vβ2 + T cells in 40% of GVHD mice studied on day 3 and in 100% of GVHD mice studied on day 14. Typical of superantigen stimulation, extremely polyclonal liver Vβ3 + T cells were detected in 100% of GVHD mice studied on day 3 and 40% of GVHD mice studied on day 14. Yet, the liver Vβ3 + T cells in 60% of the day 14 GVHD mice were oligoclonal, pointing to a response to minor histocompatibility antigens.