Analysis of the peripheral T-cell receptor V beta repertoire in newly diagnosed patients with type I diabetes.
Type I diabetes is an autoimmune disease characterised by a marked activation of peripheral T cells around the time of clinical diagnosis. Studies of T-cell antigen receptor V beta (TCRBV) gene usage in type I diabetes have been conflicting. Using a semi-quantitative polymerase chain reaction technique and flow cytometry we have investigated the TCRBV gene usage of 13 newly diagnosed patients with type I diabetes and 11 normal healthy controls. No preferential TCRBV gene usage was found between patients and controls even after matching for HLA-DR3 and/or -DR4. In addition, no significant differences in TCRBV gene usage were found between sequential samples taken over a period of up to 7 months following diagnosis. These results suggest that the TCR repertoire of these patients is heterogeneous and it is unlikely that a single 'pathogenic' T-cell clone is dominant at the clinical onset of the disease.
Wong
S
S
Department of Medicine, University of Plymouth, England.
Wen
L
L
Hibberd
M
M
Millward
A
A
Demaine
A
A
D000328:Adult; D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D016827:CD8 Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010375:Pedigree; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000276:immunology*; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*
D015704:CD4 Antigens; D016827:CD8 Antigens; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta