Oligoclonal T lymphocytes in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with multiple sclerosis

J Exp Med. 1988 Apr 1;167(4):1313-22. doi: 10.1084/jem.167.4.1313.

Abstract

We have investigated the T cell populations in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of chronic progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Individual T cells from the CSF and blood were cloned before expansion and their clonotypes were defined by analysis of rearranged T cell receptor beta chain and gamma chain genes. 87 T cell clones from blood and CSF of two patients with chronic progressive MS were examined for common TCR gene rearrangement patterns. In one patient, 18 of 28 CSF-derived T cell clones demonstrated common TCR gene rearrangements indicating oligoclonal T cell populations; in the blood, two patterns were found twice among 26 T cell clones. In another patient, 5 of 27 CSF-derived clones had common TCR gene rearrangement patterns. In contrast, no common beta chain rearrangement pattern was found among 67 T cell clones derived from the blood or CSF of a patient with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, among 20 clones from the CSF of a patient with herpes zoster meningoencephalitis, or among 66 clones from a normal subject. A subject with atypical, fatal MS of 8-mo duration was also studied and did not have oligoclonal T cells in the CSF or blood. These results demonstrate that distinct oligoclonal T cell populations can be found in the CSF immune compartment of subjects with nonmalignant inflammatory disease and they can create a new avenue for the investigation of the specificity of the T cell response within the central nervous system.

Publication types

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

MeSH terms

  • Cerebrospinal Fluid / immunology
  • Cerebrospinal Fluid / pathology*
  • Clone Cells / immunology
  • Clone Cells / pathology
  • Herpes Zoster / cerebrospinal fluid
  • Humans
  • Meningoencephalitis / cerebrospinal fluid
  • Multiple Sclerosis / cerebrospinal fluid*
  • Multiple Sclerosis / immunology
  • Multiple Sclerosis / pathology
  • Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / genetics
  • Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis / cerebrospinal fluid
  • T-Lymphocytes / immunology
  • T-Lymphocytes / pathology*

Substances

  • Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell