[T cell clonotype analyses using SSCP].

Abstract

T cells recognize a specific antigen via the T cell receptor which consists of two molecules having V, (D), J and C regions. It is usually believed that certain T cell clones are expanded in order to respond to an antigen. However, the analyses of T cell clonalities are difficult to perform. In fact, several conflicting data have been reported as to whether there is an accumulation of clonal T cells in the lesion of autoimmune diseases. We have therefore established a new method to investigate the clonalities of T cells using the polymerase chain reaction and the single strand conformation polymorphism. With this method, we can monitor dynamic changes of responding T cell clonotypes during immune reaction, both in vitro and in vivo.