CIRCULATING T-CELL REPERTOIRE COMPLEXITY IN NORMAL INDIVIDUALS AND BONE-MARROW RECIPIENTS ANALYZED BY CDR3 SIZE SPECTRATYPING - CORRELATIONWITH IMMUNE STATUS

The analysis of the T cell repertoires involved in local or systemic i mmune responses is beginning to play an important role in many clinica l situations. These include autoimmunity, response to viral or bacteri al superantigens, alloimmunity including allograft rejection, and tumo r immunity. Here we analyze circulating T cell repertoires by determin ing TCR beta-chain gene complexity using a modification of V beta fami ly-specific PCR. This approach, called CDR3 size spectratyping, uses t he size heterogeneity of the CDR3 as a further source of specificity i n TCR analysis. It has been used here to analyze the complexity and st ability of circulating T cell repertoires in normal adults, including bone marrow donors, and bone marrow transplant recipients. Normal spec tratypes are both complex and stable. The repertoire complexity of mar row recipients correlates with their state of immune function. Contrac tions and gaps in repertoires are revealed in individuals suffering fr om recurrent infections associated with T cell impairment. Spectratype analysis is applicable to other studies of specific repertoire skewin g such as may be associated with immmunodeficiency or found at sites o f immune activity.