V-BETA GENE REPERTOIRES IN T-CELLS EXPANDED IN LOCAL SELF-HEALING ANDLETHAL SYSTEMIC MURINE CUTANEOUS LEISHMANIASIS

Inbred mice infected with Leishmania major promastigotes display two d ifferent courses of leishmaniasis: resistant strains develop self-heal ing local sores, while susceptible strains show progressive systemic d isease with lethal outcome. Resistance predominantly correlates with t he production of T helper type 1 (TH1) lymphokines and susceptibility with production of TH2-type lymphokines. Here, we analyzed whether thi s TH phenotype difference correlates with expression of particular T c ell receptor V beta chains. Our results show that T cells expand stron gly during infection in all groups of mice and invariantly express the same V beta gene families as prior to infection. Our data indicate th at TH1 and TH2 cells use similar V beta gene families, and argue again st the engagement of a restricted set of V beta by dominant determinan ts associated with L. major: