title: Preferential usage of the T-cell antigen receptor beta-chain constant region C beta 1 element by lung T-lymphocytes of patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis.
abstract: Evaluation of the T-cells accumulating at sites of disease in active sarcoidosis suggests the accumulation process is not random, evidenced by a bias in the types of T-cells present. To evaluate the concept that this bias extends to the accumulation of T-cells with the preferential use of specific T-cell antigen receptor (TCR) beta-chain constant region elements, beta-chain mRNA transcripts of lung and blood T-cells of normal subjects and patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis were compared for the relative usage of constant region beta 1 or beta 2 elements. Quantitative evaluation of C beta 1 and C beta 2 mRNA transcripts demonstrated a C beta 1/C beta 2 usage in normal blood of 0.63 +/- 0.02, similar to that of normal lung (0.64 +/- 0.06, p greater than 0.7), and in sarcoid blood (0.59 +/- 0.03, p greater than 0.2). In contrast, the lung T-lymphocytes of patients with sarcoidosis reflected a marked bias in the usage of C beta 1 elements (C beta 1/C beta 2: 0.88 +/- 0.06, p less than 0.001 compared with sarcoid blood and normal blood; p less than 0.02 compared with normal lung). Interestingly, a subgroup of these patients (six of 18) showed a markedly exaggerated skewing in the use of C beta 1 elements (C beta 1/C beta 2 ratio greater than 1, i.e., greater than 3 standard deviations above mean), demonstrating heterogeneity among sarcoid patients with regard to specific C beta 1 usage.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Pulmonary Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tamura
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Moller
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Balbi
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Crystal
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D015333:Gene Rearrangement, beta-Chain T-Cell Antigen Receptor; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000473:pathology; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D015347:RNA Probes; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D012507:Sarcoidosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D015347:RNA Probes; D012333:RNA, Messenger