K. Usuku et al., THE HUMAN T-CELL RECEPTOR BETA-CHAIN REPERTOIRE - LONGITUDINAL FLUCTUATIONS AND ASSESSMENT IN MHC MATCHED POPULATIONS, Immunogenetics, 38(3), 1993, pp. 193-198
The influence of the environment and of the major histocompatibility c
omplex (MHC) in shaping the human T-cell receptor beta-chain variable
region (TCRBV) repertoire has not been systematically studied. Here, e
xpression of TCRBV gene families was estimated by a sensitive polymera
se chain reaction (PCR)-based method. Serial studies of peripheral blo
od, performed at 2-week intervals over a 3-month period, revealed that
fluctuation in the expression of many TCRBV genes occurred in healthy
individuals and in the absence of clinically evident infections. Fluc
tuation of TCRBV4, TCRBV5.2, TCRBV9, and TCRBV13.1 genes were present
in all subjects. Additional TCRBV genes fluctuated in some but not in
other individuals. Comparison of the TCRBV repertoire between these un
related individuals indicated differences in the mean expression of TC
RBV5.1, TCRBV9, TCRBV11, TCRBV1.5, TCRBV17, and TCRBV20 genes. For any
TCRBV gene, intersubject differences were generally of a magnitude of
twofold or less. Larger differences characterized the TCRBV repertoir
e of CD4 compared to CD8 cells. Some differences, for example over-rep
resentation of TCRBV2 and TCRBV5.1 on CD4, and TCRBV10, TCRBV14, and T
CRBV16 on CD8 cells, were present in most subjects. Individuals homozy
gous for DR2- or DR3-bearing extended MHC haplotypes displayed similar
individual variability of TCRBV expression. These data indicate that
the circulating TCRBV repertoire in humans is both dynamic and diverse
. Both environment and MHC effects contribute to the diversity of TCRB
V expression.