Common T-cell receptor V beta usage in oligoclonal T lymphocytes derived from cerebrospinal fluid and blood of patients with multiple sclerosis

Ann Neurol. 1991 Jan;29(1):33-40. doi: 10.1002/ana.410290109.

Abstract

T-cell populations were investigated in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid of patients with multiple sclerosis and other neurological diseases. Individual T cells were directly cloned from the cerebrospinal fluid and blood before in vitro expansion, and their clonotypes were compared by Southern blot analysis of the rearrangement patterns of their T-cell receptor beta chain and gamma chain genes. This allowed the determination of whether two T cell clones shared the same T-cell receptor and thus arose from identical, clonally expanded (oligoclonal) progenitor T cells. As an extension of previous studies, oligoclonal T-cell clones were identified in both cerebrospinal fluid and blood populations in 5 of 9 patients with inflammatory demyelinating disease among a total of 486 blood and cerebrospinal fluid T-cell clones. In contrast, no clonally expanded T-cell populations were found among a total of 424 clones derived from either blood of 4 normal control subjects or blood and cerebrospinal fluid of 8 patients with other neurological diseases. Analysis of T-cell receptor V beta genes among 4 oligoclonal T-cell populations derived from 3 patients with multiple sclerosis demonstrated common usage of the V beta 12 gene segment. These data suggest that oligoclonal T cells share similar specificities and that clonal expansion may have resulted from specific stimulation by an antigen. Moreover, identical clones between blood and cerebrospinal fluid were observed in 3 of 9 patients with demyelinating disease, thus providing further evidence of an equilibrium between peripheral and central nervous system immune compartments.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Base Sequence
  • Blotting, Southern
  • Child, Preschool
  • Clone Cells
  • DNA Probes
  • Female
  • Gene Rearrangement, beta-Chain T-Cell Antigen Receptor / genetics*
  • Gene Rearrangement, gamma-Chain T-Cell Antigen Receptor / genetics*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Multiple Sclerosis / blood
  • Multiple Sclerosis / cerebrospinal fluid
  • Multiple Sclerosis / genetics*
  • Phenotype
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • T-Lymphocytes*

Substances

  • DNA Probes