Open AccessAn altered repertoire of T cell receptor V gene expression by rheumatoid synovial fluid T lymphocytes
Author(s) -
LUNARDI C.,
MARGUERIE C.,
SO A. K.
Publication year - 1992
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.1365-2249.1992.tb05865.x
Subject(s) - synovial fluid , t cell receptor , synovitis , immunology , rheumatoid arthritis , biology , synovial membrane , gene , t cell , microbiology and biotechnology , beta (programming language) , peripheral blood mononuclear cell , gene expression , pathology , medicine , immune system , genetics , alternative medicine , osteoarthritis , computer science , programming language , in vitro
SUMMARY The pattern of T cell receptor V gene expression by lymphocytes from rheumatoid synovial fluid and paired peripheral blood samples was compared using a polymerasc chain reaction (PCR)‐based assay. Eight rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients who had varying durations of disease (from 2 to 20 years) were studied. In all patients there was evidence of a different pattern of V gene expression between the two compartments. Significantly increased expression of at least one Vα or Vβ gene family by synovial fluid T cells was observed in all the patients studied. Three different Vα (Vα 10, 15 and 18) and three Vβ (Vβ 4, 5 and 13) families were commonly elevated. Sequencing of synovial Vβ transcripts demonstrated that the basis of increased expression of selected V gene families in the synovial fluid was due to the presence of dominant clonotypes within those families, which constituted up to 53% of the sequences isolated from one particular synovial V gene family. There were considerable differences in the NDJ sequences found in synovial and peripheral blood T cell receptor (TCR) transcripts of the same Vα gene family. These data suggest that the TCR repertoire in the two compartments differs, and that antigen‐driven expansion of particular synovial T cell populations is a component of rheumatoid synovitis, and is present in all stages of the disease.