title: The evolution of malignant and reactive γδ + T cell clones in a relapse T-ALL case after allogeneic stem cell transplantation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To improve the outcome of patients with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL), characterization of the biological features of T-ALL blast cells and the immune status of patients with T-ALL is needed to identify specific therapeutic strategies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Using a novel approach based on the combination of fine-tiling comparative genomic hybridization (FT-CGH) and ligation-mediated PCR (LM-PCR), we molecularly identified a malignant γδ + T cell clone with a Vδ5Dδ2Jδ1 rearrangement that was paired with a T cell receptor (TCR) VγI and comprised a Vγ1Vδ5 T cell clone in a relapse T-ALL patient. This malignant Vδ5 T cell clone disappeared after chemotherapy, but the clone was detected again when disease relapsed post allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) at 100 weeks. Using PCR and GeneScan analyses, the distribution and clonality of the TCR Vγ and Vδ subfamilies were examined before and after allo-HSCT in the patient. A reactive T cell clone with a Vδ4Dδ3Jδ1 rearrangement was identified in all samples taken at different time points (i.e., 4, 8, 68, 100 and 108 weeks after allo-HSCT). The expression of this Vδ4+ T cell clone was higher in the patient during complete remission (CR) post allo-HSCT and at disease relapse.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study established a sensitive methodology to detect T cell subclones, which may be used to monitor minimal residual disease and immune reconstitution.
authors.forename: Shaohua
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Haitao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Suxia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Geng
authors.forename: Xiuli
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Lijian
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Jianyu
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Weng
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Du
authors.forename: Yangqiu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001483:Base Sequence; D060965:Clonal Evolution; D002999:Clone Cells; D055028:Comparative Genomic Hybridization; D022801:Complementarity Determining Regions; D015973:Gene Expression Regulation, Leukemic; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D054218:Precursor T-Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D012008:Recurrence; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous
chemical_list: D022801:Complementarity Determining Regions; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta