title: Evolution of the T cell receptor beta repertoire from synovial fluid T cells of patients with juvenile onset rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the level of T cell clonal expansion and the proportion of T cells that persist over time in the synovial fluid (SF) of patients with juvenile onset rheumatoid arthritis (JRA).
  
  
  METHODS
  We collected SF samples from each of 3 patients with JRA at 2 to 3 year intervals. To measure expression across the entire spectrum of Vbeta families in each of 7 fluids examined, we synthesized and amplified dscDNA from all 24 Vbeta families with a single reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The proportion of clonally expanded T cells and persistent T cells is low and variable among patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The data are supportive of disease models not centered on T cells but centered on the changing nature of the disease over time.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Toronto Hospital (Western Division), Canada.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Phang
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Laxer
authors.forename: E D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Silverman
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Doherty
mesh_terms: D017668:Age of Onset; D017398:Alternative Splicing / Q000502:physiology; D001171:Arthritis, Juvenile / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D006801:Humans; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region / Q000276:immunology; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D013582:Synovial Fluid / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000276:immunology*; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell