Sequestration of virus-specific T cells in the cerebrospinal fluid of a patient with varicella zoster viral meningoencephalitis.
The frequency of virus-specific T cells in the cerebrospinal fluid of a patient with viral infection of the brain and meninges was determined by using a single-T-cell cloning technique where a representative sampling of T cells was cloned from the cerebrospinal fluid of a patient with varicella zoster viral (VZV) meningoencephalitis. That the derived T-cell clones were in fact clonal was shown by demonstrating, on Southern blot analyses, unique rearrangements of the T-cell antigen-receptor beta-chain genes of each clone. Five out of the 15 of the T4+ (CD4), 0/4 of the T8+ (CD8), and 0/1 of the T4+T8+ T-cell clones proliferated to VZV, while no clones proliferated to mumps virus or myelin basic protein. There was no clonal expansion of any VZV-reactive T cell in this patient's cerebrospinal fluid. As VZV meningoencephalitis is thought to be due to the reactivation of a dormant herpes zoster viral infection, it can be regarded as a secondary immune response. The presence of different T-cell receptor beta-chain gene rearrangements in each T-cell clone suggests that the T-cell response was polyclonal. These results demonstrate that a high frequency of polyclonal, T4+ antigen-specific T cells can be found in a naturally occurring, localized, immune response.
Duby
A D
AD
Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115.
Weiner
H L
HL
Benjamin
D S
DS
Seidman
J G
JG
Hafler
D A
DA
D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte / Q000032:analysis; D004247:DNA; D000939:Epitopes; D006562:Herpes Zoster; D014645:Herpesvirus 3, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008590:Meningoencephalitis / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D010641:Phenotype; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000032:analysis* / Q000276:immunology
D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte; D000939:Epitopes; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II; D004247:DNA