ANALYSIS OF T-CELL RECEPTOR VARIABILITY IN FRESH TUMOR-INFILTRATING LYMPHOCYTES FROM HUMAN HEAD AND NECK-CANCER

In this study, we analyzed T cell receptor (TCR) gene rearrangements i n tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) freshly obtained from 15 patien ts with head and neck cancer using the reversely transcribed polymeras e chain reaction (RT-PCR) method. These TILs showed preferential expre ssion of V alpha 10, V alpha 8 and V alpha 1, detected in 13 (87%), 11 (73%), and 9 cases (60%), respectively. The TCRV beta gene revealed d iversity without preferential usage. The head and neck region is expos ed to bacteria and viruses, so it is possible that the tumor site can become infected and accumulate T cells involved in infection and infla mmation. Therefore, we also investigated TCR gene usage in T cells inf iltrating in chronic sinusitis mucosa to address the question of wheth er the V alpha 1, V alpha 8, and V alpha 10 subfamilies are characteri stic in TIL from squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck. TCR V alpha 10 gene usage was also the most common in V alpha segment in T cells infiltrating the sinus mucosa, but V alpha 1 and V alpha 8 were not de tected in the T cells in sinusitis. These results indicate that the V alpha 10 subfamily, the preferred T cell population in both TIL and T cells in inflammatory disease, might be involved mainly in inflammatio n or infection. On the other hand, V alpha 1 and V alpha 8 appear to b e relatively specific populations for antitumor immunity in head and n eck cancer.