ANALYSIS OF T-CELL RECEPTOR-BETA CHAIN REPERTOIRE IN MIDDLE-EAR EFFUSIONS

In order to elucidate the immune response in otitis media with effusio n (OME), the polymerase chain reaction was employed to examine T cells in middle ear effusions in patients with OME for utilization of T cel l receptor (TCR) variable region genes. Specimens of RNA were extracte d from 13 ears of 12 patients (9 children and 3 adults). Oligonucleoti de primers specific for individual TCR V beta gene families were used to amplify TCR gene products in each sample. Although the number of V beta families utilized by each sample varied from 1 family to 21, a fe w significant trends emerged. Eleven ears out of 13 expressed V beta 7 , which was the most frequently utilized (84.6%) V beta family among t he 24 V beta families. In 5 of the 13 samples, the number of V beta fa milies utilized was restricted to 1, which was V beta 7 in all 5 sampl es. This result indicates the possibility that V beta 7-bearing T cell s in the middle ear are responding to a certain common antigen in some cases of OME.