title: Restricted usage of T-cell receptor V alpha sequence and variable-joining pairs after normal T-cell development and bone marrow transplantation.
abstract: TCR V alpha 3 and V alpha 5 transcripts in PBLs from healthy individuals of multiple age groups and from BMT recipients were analyzed. PCR, cloning, and sequencing studies revealed significant V-J junctional diversity among TCR transcripts from all tested blood samples, as provided both by N/P-region addition and exonuclease activity. However, results illustrated restrictions in TCR alpha diversity at several additional levels. First, V alpha 5 and V alpha 3 gene families, which were expected to be composed of multiple members, were dominated in each case by a single sequence at the transcript level. Second, restrictions existed in V-J pairing in that J alpha genes, which were encoded toward the 5' region of the locus, were rearranged frequently with V alpha 3 and rarely with V alpha 5. Conversely, J alpha genes encoded toward the 3' region of the locus preferentially rearranged with V alpha 5. Healthy individuals showed few differences with regard to V-J pairing patterns, while one of three BMT recipients demonstrated a skewed usage of 3' J alpha genes. In total, results demonstrated qualitative restrictions that may limit the working TCR repertoire in human peripheral tissues, both among BMT recipients and their healthy donors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee.
authors.forename: V P
authors.initials: VP
authors.lastname: Dave
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Larché
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Rencher
authors.forename: B F
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: Koop
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Hurwitz
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001483:Base Sequence; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000235:genetics*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta