Tracking antigen-specific human T lymphocytes in rheumatoid arthritis by Tcell receptor analysis

The aim of this study was to use TCR sequencing as a tool to address the fr equency of antigen specific T cells in different T cell compartments from a rheumatoid arthritis patient. We have previously established a clear link between T cell recognition of a specific Mhsp60 epitope and the amino acid sequence in the CDR3 region of the TCRB chain. This information was used to determine the frequency of these characteristic sequences in unmanipulated synovial fluid (SF), peripheral blood (PB) and hyperplastic lymph node of the same patient by amplification and sequencing. TCRBV sequences identical to those seen in antigen-specific clones, and closely related sequences, w ere readily identified in SF, where they represented similar to 1% of all T cells, but were absent from PB or lymph node. The prevalence of putative M hsp60 specific T cells within the SFMC is much greater than previously sugg ested by limiting dilution assays. Thus, amplification and sequencing may p rove a superior technique for tracking the frequency of antigen-specific T cells in different tissues and in, a longitudinal fashion. (C) American Soc iety for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics, 1999. Published by Elsevier Science Inc.