ANALYSIS OF HUMAN T-CELL RECEPTOR V-BETA GENE USAGE FOLLOWING IMMUNIZATION TO TETANUS TOXOID IN-VIVO

The human T-cell antigen receptor (TcR) Vbeta repertoire was investiga ted following in vivo reimmunization with tetanus toxoid (TT). Four he althy subjects were immunized subcutaneously with TT, and 24 samples o f peripheral blood T cells were taken at intervals over several weeks and used to generate TcR-Cbeta chain-specific first-strand cDNA. A sem i-quantitative assay utilizing the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to measure the amount of 22 different TcR-Vbeta gene transcripts in the cDNA. A peak increase in the amount of Vbeta2, 4, 6, 13.1 and 14 occurred 14 days post-immunization, with each Vbeta increased in at least two of the four subjects. No obvious changes in the other 17 Vb eta genes were found. A secondary antibody response to TT occurred in all subjects by day 14. These results show that it is now possible to characterize the in vivo kinetics of the human TcR repertoire followin g stimulation with a conventional antigen.