title: T cell receptor excision circle levels in CD94-expressing CD8 T Cells during graft-versus-host disease.
abstract: T cell receptor excision circles (TRECs) have been suggested to be useful markers of recent thymic output and graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) was thought to have an adverse effect on thymic output. On the other hand, TREC concentrations are diluted with T cell expansion. The C-type lectin superfamily inhibitory receptor CD94 expression on T cells might be a consequence of CD8 T cell expansion. Therefore, this study was designed to analyse TREC DNA level in CD4 and CD8 T cell subset expressing CD94 during GVHD. We investigated TREC DNA copy numbers (TREC levels) of CD4+, CD94+/CD8+ and CD94-/CD8+ T cells in 24 patients who had undergone allogeneic stem cell transplantation and also of in vitro activated and expanded CD94-expressing cells by immobilised anti-CD3 mAb and IL-15. TREC level of CD94+/CD8+ T cells in patients with chronic GVHD was lower than that in patients with no GVHD and with remission status of GVHD. In vitro activated and expanded CD94-expressing cells had a significantly lower TREC level than that in untreated CD8 cells. Therefore, the low TREC level of CD94+/CD8+ T cells is related to chronic GVHD and may reflect T cell expansion during chronic GVHD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology and Oncology, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Junichi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sugita
authors.forename: Noriaki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Iwao
authors.forename: Junji
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Naoko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Souichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shiratori
authors.forename: Kentarou
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wakasa
authors.forename: Akio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shigematsu
authors.forename: Tomomi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Toubai
authors.forename: Mutsumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takahata
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kondo
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Asaka
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Imamura
mesh_terms: D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D005260:Female; D015329:Gene Rearrangement, T-Lymphocyte; D006086:Graft vs Host Disease / Q000276:immunology*; D019337:Hematologic Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051920:NK Cell Lectin-Like Receptor Subfamily D
chemical_list: D051920:NK Cell Lectin-Like Receptor Subfamily D