Expression of T cell receptor V? genes in different organs of murine lupus models / 中华风湿病学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective CD4+ T lymphocytes have been shown to play an important role in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). To identify the commonly accumulated T cell clones and to investigate its role in murine lupus models, it was analyzed that the T cell clonality infiltrating in different tissues derived from (NZB?NZW)F1 as well as MRL/lpr mice. Methods The expressions of T cell receptor (TCR) V? gene were analyzed by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) combined with single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) study. The phenotype of T cells expanded in different organs was determined by magnetic cell sorting (MACS). Results RT-PCR and SSCP study of TCR V? chain demonstrated that there were some identical T cell clonotypes expanded and accumulated in different organs in aged diseased mice. Most of these identical clonotypes were CD4+ T cells in both of the two strains. In contrast, young mice exhibited little accumulation of common clone in different organs. The TCR V? usage of these identical clonotypes was limited in V?2, V?6, V?8.1, V?10, V?16, V?18 in MRL/lpr mice and V?6, V?7 in (NZB?NZW)F1 mice respectively. Conclusion The results suggest that activated and clonally expanded CD4+ T cells commonly accumulated in different tissues in aged murine lupus models. These CD4+ T cell clonotypes may be involved in specific immune responses of SLE, thus playing a pathogenic role in these lupus mice.