0000000000648488
AUTHOR
Sabine Pingel
Pyruvate dehydrogenase specific T cells in primary biliary cirrhosis show restricted antigen recognition sites
: Background/Aims: The aim was to characterise the antigen recognition sites of the variable T cell receptor α-chain (TCRAV) and β-chain (TCRBV) of T cells specific to the pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDC) in primary biliary cirrhosis. Methods: In 21 PDC-specific T cell clones isolated from five patients we analysed TCRAV and TCRBV usage by RT-PCR and sequenced the CDR3 regions. Results: Preferential expression of the TCR elements BV6 (6 clones), BV12 (4 clones) and BV1 (3 clones), and frequent usage of the joining elements JB2.3 and JB2.1 were seen. Analysis of the α chain revealed rearrangement of AV2 in 7 clones (35%) and AV7 in 3 clones, however, distribution of the joining elements was het…
Evolution of viral quasispecies in four dominant HlA-A2 restricted T cell epitopes is not a major reason for viral persistence in interferon-treated patients with chronic hepatitis C
In most patients, chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection persists despite antiviral treatment with interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) and ribavirin. The aim of the study was to determine whether HCV could evade cellular immune responses through mutations within T cell epitopes. Viral sequences flanking four major CTL epitopes within the HCV core and envelope regions were analyzed by PCR amplification, cloning and sequencing in seven HLA-A2 positive HCV patients before, during and after antiviral therapy. In addition, cytotoxic T lymphocyte precursor (CTLp) frequencies specific to these epitopes were quantitated by ELISPOT. A total of 13 coding mutations were observed among 650 cloned and seque…
T cell receptor Vβ chain restriction and preferred CDR3 motifs of liver-kidney microsomal antigen (LKM-1)-reactive T cells from autoimmune hepatitis patients
Aims/Background : The liver-kidney-microsomal antigen (LKM-1) has been recognized as a major CD4 + T cell antigen in autoimmune hepatitis (AIH). The aim of this study was to characterize the antigen recognition sites of the variable T cell receptor β-chain (TCRBV) of T cells specific to LKM-1. Methods: By repeated stimulation of T cells with a recombinant LKM-1 antigen or an LKM-derived peptide followed by limited dilution, we generated T cell clones. Usage of TCRBV was analyzed by RT-PCR and CDR3 antigen recognition sites were sequenced. Results: The 18 LKM-1 specific T cell clones isolated from six AIH patients preferentially expressed the TCR elements BV9, BV5S2+S3, BV6, and BV13S1. Four…
Individual and common antigen-recognition sites of liver-derived T cells in patients with autoimmune hepatitis.
Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is characterized by dense T-cell infiltrations in the liver tissue, but little is known how T cells influence the pathogenesis. To address this question, the distribution of T-cell receptor variable beta-chain (TCR Vbeta) transcripts of peripheral blood and liver-infiltrating T cells from previously untreated patients with newly diagnosed acute exacerbated AIH was investigated. Furthermore, the lengths and sequences of complementary-determining region 3 (CDR3) were studied. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis and CDR3 spectratyping revealed multiple clonal expansions of liver-infiltrating T cells but not peripheral T cells within vari…
Reduced virus specific T helper cell induction by autologous dendritic cells in patients with chronic hepatitis B-restoration by exogenous interleukin-12
SUMMARYInsufficient stimulatory capacities of autologous dendritic cells (DC) may contribute in part to impaired T cell stimulation and therefore viral persistence in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. In order to characterize the antigen presenting functions of DC from chronic HBV carriers and controls antigen specific T cell responses were analysed. CD34+ peripheral blood progenitor cells were differentiated to immature DC in the presence of GM-CSF, IL-6/IL-6R fusion protein and stem cell factor. Proliferative CD4+ T cell responses and specific cytokine release were analysed in co-cultures of DC pulsed with HBV surface and core antigens or tetanus toxoid and autologo…