Diversity of T-cell receptor Vα, Vβ, and CDR3 expression by myelin basic protein-specific human T-cell clones

• Published in: Neurology Vol. 45; no. 10; pp. 1919 - 1922
• Main Authors: RICHERT, J. R, ROBINSON, E. D, CAMPHAUSEN, K, MARTIN, R, VOSKUHL, R. R, FAERBER, M. A, MCFARLAND, H. F, HURLEY, C. K
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hagerstown, MD Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 01-10-1995
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; Binding Sites; Biological and medical sciences; Clone Cells; Humans; Medical sciences; Molecular Sequence Data; Multiple sclerosis and variants. Guillain barré syndrome and other inflammatory polyneuropathies. Leukoencephalitis; Myelin Basic Protein - immunology; Neurology; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta - chemistry; Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta - genetics; Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta - immunology; T-Lymphocytes - immunology; Human; Nervous system diseases; Multiple sclerosis; T cell receptor; Myelin; Basic protein; Central nervous system disease; Exploration; Gene expression; Inflammatory disease
• ISSN: 0028-3878; 1526-632X
• DOI: 10.1212/WNL.45.10.1919

We sequenced the cDNAs of alpha and beta T-cell receptors (TCRs), including V, J, and CDR3 regions, expressed by 54 myelin basic protein (MBP)-specific T-cell clones generated from the peripheral blood of 15 multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and three normal controls. Thirteen V alpha gene segments, 18 V beta gene segments, 23 CDR3 alpha sequences, and 30 CDR3 beta sequences were represented among these clones. Some CDR3 motifs were common to several clones that shared epitope specificity, while other motifs were common to clones with diverse epitope specificities. The extensive heterogeneity of TCR gene expression in the human immune response to MBP indicates that therapeutic strategies aimed at blocking a limited number of TCRs are unlikely to fully suppress the T-cell response to MBP in vivo.