title: Evidence for the persistence of monoclonal expansions of CD8+ T cells following primary simian immunodeficiency virus infection.
abstract: A longitudinal study of the CD8+ TCR variable (Vbeta) chain repertoire was performed in rhesus macaques experimentally infected with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) using both TCR Vbeta chain-specific monoclonal antibodies and TCR beta chain CDR3 length analysis. Expansions of subpopulations of CD8+ T cells were detected during the acute phase of SIV infection. In all monkeys studied, monoclonal expansions persisted for at least 18 months and increasingly dominated the repertoire of CD8+ T cells expressing the relevant Vbeta chain. This study shows that persistent CD8+ T cell expansions develop in response to a virus infection. This is important not only for our understanding of the T cell response to viruses but also for understanding the factors that determine the normal CD8+ TCR repertoire.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Immunology Group, Institute of Molecular Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, GB.
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cranage
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cook
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Leech
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: McMichael
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Callan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000276:immunology; D002999:Clone Cells; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000276:immunology; D016097:Simian Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000276:immunology*; D015302:Simian Immunodeficiency Virus; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta