Persistent expression of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE)-specific V beta 8.2 TCR spectratype in the central nervous system of rats with chronic relapsing EAE
G. Kim et al., Persistent expression of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE)-specific V beta 8.2 TCR spectratype in the central nervous system of rats with chronic relapsing EAE, J IMMUNOL, 161(12), 1998, pp. 6993-6998
Monitoring the TCR repertoire is indispensable for the assessment of T cell
-associated autoimmune diseases and subsequent TCR-based immunotherapy, In
the present study, we examined the TCR repertoire of spinal cord T cells of
Lewis rats by CDR3 spectratyping during chronic relapsing experimental aut
oimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) induced by immunization with spinal cord ho
mogenate, It was found that V beta 8.2 spectratype with the shortest CDR3 e
xpanded oligoclonally throughout the course of the disease. In addition, V
beta 12 spectratype expansion was observed at the first and second attacks
of EAE, Sequence analysis revealed that clones with the DSSYEQYF sequence,
which is a representative sequence of myelin basic protein (MBP)-reactive T
cell clones, constituted the predominant population in the V beta 8.2 fami
ly. Surprisingly, V beta 12 also used the identical amino acid sequence in
the CDR3 region, These findings indicate that although infiltrating T cells
in the central nervous system are activated polyclonally, the TCR repertoi
re remains unchanged throughout the course. Moreover, the finding that the
predominant CDR3 amino acid sequence of V beta 8.2 and V beta 12 spectratyp
es is identical with that of MBP-induced EAE suggests that a single Ag in s
pinal cord homogenate, possibly MBP, is involved in disease development.