Open AccessLack of T cell oligoclonality in enzyme‐digested synovial tissue and in synovial fluid in most patients with rheumatoid arthritis
Author(s) -
LAAR J. M.,
MILTENBURG A. M. M.,
VERDONK M. J. A.,
DAHA M. R.,
VRIES R. R. P.,
ELSEN P. J.,
BREEDVELD F. C.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
clinical & experimental immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.329
H-Index - 135
eISSN - 1365-2249
pISSN - 0009-9104
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2249.1991.tb05642.x
Subject(s) - rheumatoid arthritis , synovial fluid , immunology , arthritis , medicine , pathology , biology , osteoarthritis , alternative medicine
SUMMARY The dominant presence or specific T‐cell populations in the rheumatoid joint as detected by Southern blot analysis of T cell receptor (TCR) gene rearrangements would indicate local antigen recognition and T cell proliferation. We therefore studied TCR β chain gene rearrangements using a Cβ2 probe in paired samples of T cell populations from synovial tissue and peripheral blood ( n = 6) as well as synovial fluid ( n= 16) and peripheral blood ( n = 18) of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy donors ( n = 7) served as a control. T cells were studied directly after isolation or after non‐specific expansion with OKT3 monoclonal antibody (MoAb) and T cell growth factor (TCGF). DNA samples were digested with Eco RI and Hind III to detect rearrangements to Cβ1 and Cβ2, respectively. Extra bands were detected in all EcoRI‐digested DNA samples prepared from both freshly isolated and non‐specifically expanded T cell populations of patients and healthy donors, possibly representing ‘common’ (V‐) D‐J rearrangements. Dominant rearrangements were found in only two out of 16 synovial fluid T cell populations (one freshly isolated and one expanded) and not in peripheral blood or synovial tissue derived T cell populations. No extra bands were detected in HindIII‐digested DNA samples. To investigate the effect of in vitro culture techniques on rearrangement patterns we studied DNA samples prepared from synovial tissue T cells obtained both by outgrowth from tissue with TCGF or by enzyme digestion and subsequent expansion either with TCGF or with OKT3 MoAb and TCGF. Whereas the latter T cell population yielded ‘common’ rearrangements, the former T cell populations yielded different dominant rearrangements. These data indicate that oligoclonality of the T cell populations in synovial tissue and synovial fluid of patients with RA is a rare event. The data also show the influence of in vitro culture techniques on the result of TCR gene rearrangement analysis.