title: Next-Generation Sequencing Reveals Restriction and Clonotypic Expansion of Treg Cells in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis.
abstract: Treg cell-mediated suppression of Teff cells is impaired in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA); however, the basis for this dysfunction is incompletely understood. Animal models of autoimmunity and immunodeficiency demonstrate that a diverse Treg cell repertoire is essential to maintain Treg cell function. The present study was undertaken to investigate the Treg and Teff cell repertoires in JIA.
  
  
  
  Treg cells (CD4+CD25+CD127(low) ) and Teff cells (CD4+CD25-) were isolated from peripheral blood and synovial fluid obtained from JIA patients, healthy controls, and children with Lyme arthritis. Treg cell function was measured in suppressive assays. The T cell receptor β chain (TRB) was amplified by multiplex polymerase chain reaction and next-generation sequencing was performed, with amplicons sequenced using an Illumina HiSeq platform. Data were analyzed using ImmunoSEQ, International ImMunoGeneTics system, and the Immunoglobulin Analysis Tools.
  
  
  
  Compared to findings in controls, the JIA peripheral blood Treg cell repertoire was restricted, and clonotypic expansions were found in both blood and synovial fluid Treg cells. Skewed usage and pairing of TRB variable and joining genes, including overuse of gene segments that have been associated with other autoimmune conditions, was observed. JIA patients shared a substantial portion of synovial fluid Treg cell clonotypes that were private to JIA and not identified in Lyme arthritis.
  
  
  
  We identified restriction and clonotypic expansions in the JIA Treg cell repertoire with sharing of Treg cell clonotypes across patients. These findings suggest that abnormalities in the Treg cell repertoire, possibly engendered by shared antigenic triggers, may contribute to disease pathogenesis in JIA.
authors.affiliation: Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Lauren A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Henderson
authors.affiliation: Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Volpi
authors.affiliation: Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Frugoni
authors.affiliation: Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Erin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Janssen
authors.affiliation: Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Robert P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Sundel
authors.affiliation: Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Fatma
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dedeoglu
authors.affiliation: Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Mindy S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Lo
authors.affiliation: Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Melissa M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Hazen
authors.affiliation: Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Beth Son
authors.affiliation: Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Ronald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mathieu
authors.affiliation: Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zurakowski
authors.affiliation: American Red Cross Blood Services-East Division, New England HLA Services, Dedham, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Neng
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: American Red Cross Blood Services-East Division, New England HLA Services, Dedham, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Tatiana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lebedeva
authors.affiliation: Boston Children's Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Robert C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Fuhlbrigge
authors.affiliation: Boston Children's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital for Children, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Jolan E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Walter
authors.affiliation: Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nee Lee
authors.affiliation: Boston Children's Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Peter A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Nigrovic
authors.affiliation: Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Luigi D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Notarangelo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001171:Arthritis, Juvenile / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013582:Synovial Fluid / Q000166:cytology; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000502:physiology; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000502:physiology*
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