title: Prenatal development of the porcine TCR delta repertoire: dominant expression of an invariant T cell receptor Vdelta3-Jdelta3 chain.
abstract: The prenatal development of the porcine gamma/delta TCR repertoire was studied by complementarity-determining region 3 (CDR3) spectratyping and sequencing of TRDV1-DV5 transcripts. Specimens from the small and large intestine, spleen, thymus, liver, bone marrow and PBMC from fetal piglets between 38 and 114 days of gestation (DG) were examined. The TCR delta repertoire was highly restricted early in gestation (DG38-DG57) and an invariant TRDV3 transcript, lacking the N/D region, was found in different fetuses throughout gestation and dominated the TRDV3 repertoires of all organs at mid gestation ( approximately DG55). Near the end of gestation, this invariant TRDV3 transcript was absent from the thymus but was still present, in a less dominant manner, in the intestine and spleen. The average CDR3 length of all Vdelta subgroups increased with ontogeny, suggesting an increase in activity of TdT. Thus, the persistence of fetal gamma/delta T cells expressing an invariant TRDV3 chain throughout development is especially surprising since TdT is active early in gestation in swine. We speculate that these gamma/delta T cells might have been selectively expanded by (self)-ligands and may have an important function throughout fetal development.
authors.affiliation: Medizinische Klinik II, Division of Gastroenterology, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. W.Holtmeier@em.uni-frankfurt.de
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Holtmeier
authors.forename: Wiebke
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Geisel
authors.forename: Kerstin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bernert
authors.forename: John E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Butler
authors.forename: Marek
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sinkora
authors.forename: Zuzana
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Reháková
authors.forename: Jiri
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sinkora
authors.forename: Wolfgang F
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Caspary
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000944:Antigens, Differentiation, B-Lymphocyte / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D016477:Artifacts; D001483:Base Sequence; D022801:Complementarity Determining Regions / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D005333:Fetus / Q000196:embryology / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D015329:Gene Rearrangement, T-Lymphocyte / Q000235:genetics; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism; D007422:Intestines / Q000196:embryology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D013154:Spleen / Q000196:embryology* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D013552:Swine / Q000196:embryology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000944:Antigens, Differentiation, B-Lymphocyte; D022801:Complementarity Determining Regions; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta; C045084:invariant chain