Antigen-driven clonal accumulation of peritoneal gammadelta T cells in vivo.
How the clonality of gammadelta T cells changes in response to exogenous antigens is uncertain. Here we analyzed kinetics of Vgamma1.1 and Vgamma2 T cell clonality after intraperitoneal injection of purified protein derivatives (PPD) by the heterogeneity of the third complementarity determining region (CDR3) length in Vgamma1.1-Jgamma4-Cgamma4 and Vgamma2-Jgamma1-Cgamma1 junctions. The V-J junctions were analyzed in intrahepatic lymphocytes (IHL), spleen cells, and peritoneal exudate cells (PEC) by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Gammadelta T cells expressing Vgamma1.1 and Vgamma2 genes were heterogeneous in normal mice. Accumulation of specific Vgamma1.1 T cell clones was transiently detected 7 days after the injection in PEC, but no accumulation was observed in IHL and spleen cells. The accumulated clones disappeared by 4 weeks. Transient accumulation of Vgamma2 T cell clones was also observed in PEC at the early phase after the injection. These results suggest that gammadelta T cells with specific TCR respond to PPD and temporary accumulate in the peritoneal cavity, but not in liver and spleen.
Kodaira
Y
Y
Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan. kodaira.yuzo@mayo.edu
Ikuta
K
K
Tanaka
S
S
Yokomuro
K
K
D000818:Animals; D002999:Clone Cells; D005260:Female; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010529:Peritoneal Cavity / Q000166:cytology; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D014373:Tuberculin / Q000276:immunology*
D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta; D014373:Tuberculin