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Biomedical subjects

M Roglic

Publications and source records attributed to M Roglic.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

T-cell receptor biases and clonal proliferations in blood and pleural effusions of patients with lung cancer.

We sought evidence that pulmonary carcinomas mediate a cellular immunologic response by analyzing T-cell antigen receptor beta-chain variable gene (TCRBV) repertoires of lymphocytes from peripheral blood (PBL) and malignant pleural effusions (PEL) of five lung cancer patients. Expression levels of 27 TCRBV were quantitated by multiprobe RNase protection assay (RPA), and clonal expansions were identified by sequence enrichment nuclease assay (SENA) and junctional region sequencing. Abnormal TCRBV expansions were identified in all subjects by RPA (mean 6.9 +/- 1.7/patient), and their number closely correlated with elapsed time since initial diagnosis (r = 0.97). SENA, performed in specimens from three patients, confirmed the presence of mono or oligoclonality in 48% of abnormal RPA expansions, and further identified T-cell clones among TCRBV with normal expression levels. The majority of clonal expansions were among PEL, and were nearly equally divided between CD4 and CD8. These data show that T-cell repertoires of lung cancer patients are characterized by marked abnormalities and frequent clonal expansions, most likely representing responses to unique, tumor-specific antigens (TSA). Moreover, this process appears exaggerated among PEL, further suggesting that malignant effusions include local proliferations of tumor reactive T cells. These findings imply the presence of lung cancer TSA capable of eliciting cellular immune responses and raise the possibility that selective immunotherapies can ultimately be developed.

Aged↗

T cell receptor (TCR) BV gene repertoires and clonal expansions of CD4 cells in patients with HIV infections.

Despite extensive investigation, the pathogenesis of T cell depletions that characterize AIDS has not been elucidated. To study this process further, we evaluated T cell antigen receptor beta-chain variable gene (TCRBV) repertoires in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) of 23 HIV-infected patients. Expression levels of 28 TCRBV were determined by multiprobe RNase protection assay after polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplifications. Abnormal expansions (> 2 s.d. from mean normal values) were frequent in HIV CD4, accounting for 26% of total measured TCRBV in this population. The number and magnitude of abnormalities among individuals were inversely proportional to their CD4 counts (P < 0.012 and P < 0.01, respectively). While abnormalities were not randomly distributed among TCRBV subfamilies, no particular genes were expanded or contracted among all patients. Only 14% of CD8 TCRBV were proportionally expanded (P < 0.01 compared with CD4), and there were limited concordances between paired CD8 and CD4 repertoires among individuals. CDR3 length analyses and TCRBV sequencing showed that most CD4 expansions comprised clonal or oligoclonal populations. Thus, T cell responses in HIV patients are characterized by severe TCRBV biases and clonal expansions among CD4 subsets, and these processes are exaggerated with disease progression. The heterogeneity and oligoclonality of the TCRBV expansions are consistent with responses to HIV-encoded or other conventional antigens rather than superantigenic effects. The presence of CD4 clonal proliferations in these patients may be important in the pathogenesis of HIV, and the absence or reduction of many T cell specificities due to oligoclonal expansions may increase susceptibility to opportunistic infections.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

The lesions of cyclosporine-induced autoimmune disease can be equally well elicited by CD4 or CD8 effector T cells.

Lethally irradiated Lewis rats reconstituted with syngeneic bone marrow and given cyclosporine for 4 weeks develop a graft-versus-host-like disease upon withdrawal of CsA. Autoreactive T cells inducing this thymus-dependent autoimmune disease, termed CsA-AI, are demonstrable by adoptive transfer, provided regulatory cells in recipient rats are eliminated. Earlier studies have not unequivocally defined the effector T cells responsible for development of CsA-AI. Some of these studies suggest that both CD4 and CD8 T cells are required, while other studies indicate disease transfer by CD4 or CD8 T cells only. To further clarify this issue, it was necessary to study putative effector T cells in a well-defined setting. Hence, adoptive transfer studies were designed wherein the effect of the T cells of interest could be studied without being influenced by T cells of unwanted origin. Accordingly, recipient rats were thymectomized prior to irradiation, lymph node cells (LNC) from diseased donor rats were depleted of CD4 or CD8 cells before adoptive transfer, and recipients were treated in vivo with CD4- or CD8-depleting mAb. The results showed that CsA-AI developed after adoptive transfer with LNC depleted of either CD4 or CD8 cells. Analysis of PBL and of histologic specimens confirmed the absence of the depleted subset. In both instances, the typical MHC class II expression on keratinocytes and the presence of ED1+ macrophages were identical to the lesions in the primary donors, where both CD4 and CD8 T cells were present. Analysis of the T cell Receptor beta-chain variable region repertoires revealed that their expression patterns in LNC of diseased donors or recipients was comparable to that in normal thymus or LNC--hence, there was no restricted BV repertoire. Taken in toto, our observations indicate that CsA-AI involves both CD4 and CD8 T cells, and that these subsets can generate identical macroscopic and microscopic signs of disease.

Adoptive Transfer↗

T cell receptor biases and clonal proliferations among lung transplant recipients with obliterative bronchiolitis.

Obliterative bronchiolitis (OB) is the most serious late complication of lung transplantation, but the pathogenesis of this disorder has not been elucidated. We sought evidence that OB is mediated by a cellular immunologic response by characterizing T cell antigen receptor beta-chain variable gene (TCRBV) repertoires in lung allograft recipients. Expression levels of 27 TCRBV among recipients were determined by multiprobe RNase protection assay after PCR amplification. In comparison to recipients with no evidence of rejection (n = 9), the PBL TCRBV repertoires of OB subjects (n = 16) exhibited more frequent expansions (16 vs. 9% of all measured TCRBV, P < 0.02), and the magnitudes of these abnormalities were greater (8.2 +/- 0.8 vs. 4.5 +/- 0.3 SD from mean normal values, P < 0.01). TCRBV sequencing showed these expansions were composed of clonal or oligoclonal populations. Thus, T cell responses in the recipients are marked by highly selective clonal expansions, presumably driven by indirect recognition of a limited number of immunodominant alloantigens. These processes are exaggerated among allograft recipients with OB, implying that cognate immune mechanisms are important in the pathogenesis of the disorder. Furthermore, the prominence of finite, distinct TCR phenotypes raise possibilities for development of novel diagnostic modalities and targeted immunotherapies for OB and other manifestations of chronic allograft rejection.

Adult↗