title: Restricted usage of T-cell receptor V alpha genes in infiltrating cells in murine hearts with acute myocarditis caused by coxsackie virus B3.
abstract: In murine myocarditis, it has been shown that natural killer cells first infiltrate the heart, followed by activated T-cells, which play an important role in the pathogenesis of the myocardial damage. In the same model of acute myocarditis, the repertoire of T-cell receptor (TCR) V beta genes in infiltrating cells in the heart has also been shown to be restricted. To study the nature of T-cell infiltration in more detail, the expression of TCR V alpha genes in infiltrating cells in the heart has been analysed by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), confirmed by Southern blot hybridization with a C alpha cDNA probe. In contrast to spleen lymphocytes, the repertoire of V alpha gene transcripts in the heart was restricted. Infiltrating cells expressing V alpha 10 were found in five of eight hearts of mice with acute myocarditis and infiltrating cells expressing V alpha 7 and V alpha 3 were found in two of eight and one of eight hearts, respectively. Restricted TCR V alpha as well as V beta repertoires indicate that a specific antigen, in the heart was targeted, presented at the groove of major histocompatibility complex molecules. These findings raise the possibility of specific immunotherapy with synthetic TCR V alpha or V beta peptides to prevent T-cell-mediated myocardial damage in patients with viral myocarditis.
authors.affiliation: Third Department of Internal Medicine, University of Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Seko
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Yoshifumi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yagita
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okumura
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yazaki
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003384:Coxsackievirus Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D029822:Enterovirus B, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D005803:Genes, Immunoglobulin; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region / Q000235:genetics*; D007167:Immunotherapy; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009205:Myocarditis / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy / Q000821:virology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta