title: Comparison of gingival and peripheral blood T cells among patients with periodontitis suggests skewing of the gingival T cell antigen receptor V beta repertoire.
abstract: The present study investigated the expression of different variable regions of T cell receptor beta-chain (V beta) among functional subsets of T cells, i.e. CD45RO+ (activated/memory), CD4+ and CD8+ in gingiva and peripheral blood of patients with periodontitis. Gingival tissue specimens (n = 25) and peripheral blood were procured from 18 patients with periodontitis during periodontal surgery or extraction. Single-cell suspensions of gingival tissues were made by enzymatic digestion. These cells were immunofluorescently labeled with a panel of monoclonal antibodies specific for 18 TCR V beta regions, in concert with markers for various T cell subsets. The cells were then analyzed with 3-color multivariate flow cytometry. Results demonstrated that a significantly higher proportion of T cells in gingiva expressed V beta 5.2 (0.0005), V beta 6 (0.0007) and V beta 9 (0.003) regions compared to those in peripheral blood. Comparison of CD45RO+ (activated/memory) and CD45RO- (naïve) subsets of gingival T cells revealed differences in the expression of TCR V beta regions. V beta 5.2 expression was significantly higher among CD45RO+ gingival T cells (p = 0.004), whereas V beta 14 expression was elevated among the CD45RO- subset relative to peripheral blood (p = 0.008). Analysis of TCR V beta region expression among CD4+ and CD8+ subsets did not reveal any statistically significant differences between gingiva and peripheral blood, although some V beta regions approached significance. Collectively, these results demonstrate that the T cell repertoire in the gingival compartment differs significantly from that in the peripheral blood. Furthermore, since the skewing of TCR V beta was observed among naïve, as well as activated/memory T cells, it is likely that both developmental and environmental factors are influential in shaping the gingival TCR repertoire in patients with periodontitis. Elucidation of the cause of the skewed expression of T cell receptors in gingiva can provide insights into the specificity of T cells in periodontitis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Periodontology, University of Southern California-School of Dentistry, Los Angeles 90089, USA.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Karimzadeh
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Morrison
authors.forename: H H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Zadeh
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D002469:Cell Separation; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019085:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Direct / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005881:Gingiva / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D017493:Leukocyte Common Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017622:Periodontal Attachment Loss / Q000276:immunology; D010518:Periodontitis / Q000276:immunology*; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta; D017493:Leukocyte Common Antigens