title: Expression of disulfide-linked and non-disulfide-linked forms of the T cell receptor gamma/delta heterodimer in human intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes.
abstract: Immunohistochemistry has been used to investigate disulfide- and non-disulfide-linked forms of the T cell receptor gamma/delta heterodimer (TcR gamma/delta) in blood and intestinal epithelium of normal human small intestine, intestine of patients with untreated coeliac disease (in whom T cells expressing TcR gamma/delta are disproportionately raised), intestine of patients with tropical malabsorption, and in the human fetus. In blood from adult volunteers, 90% of T cells expressing TcR gamma/delta use the disulfide-linked form. In contrast in the epithelium in normal small intestine, coeliac disease and tropical malabsorption, most of the T cells expressing TcR gamma/delta use the non-disulfide-linked form. This is especially prominent in untreated coeliac disease where the increase in TcR gamma/delta T cells is mainly restricted to those using the non-disulfide-linked form. In human fetal small intestinal epithelium, however, only cells using the disulfide-linked form are present. These variations in expression of different forms of TcR gamma/delta in the gut epithelium in different conditions suggests that antigen, or some as yet undefined factor may determine the frequency of each subpopulation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Histopathology, University College and Middlesex School of Medicine, London, GB.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Spencer
authors.forename: P G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Isaacson
authors.forename: T C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Diss
authors.forename: T T
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: MacDonald
mesh_terms: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte / Q000032:analysis*; D017252:CD3 Complex; D002446:Celiac Disease / Q000276:immunology; D004220:Disulfides; D006801:Humans; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology / Q000276:immunology*; D007583:Jejunum; D008286:Malabsorption Syndromes / Q000276:immunology; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000032:analysis* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000145:classification*
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte; D017252:CD3 Complex; D004220:Disulfides; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta