Abstract
To understand the short-term dynamics of the circulating T cell receptor V beta (TCRBV) repertoire in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS), we monitored the TCRBV profiles of untreated MS patients and healthy controls. Expansions of TCRBV genes in MS patients were significantly more frequent than in controls (P<0.001), were predominantly oligoclonal (80%) and were significantly correlated with immune responses to myelin basic protein (MBP) (P<0.02) and with inflammatory disease activity detected by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (P<0.05). Autoreactive T cell responses against myelin antigens may be implicated in perturbations of TCR repertoire in untreated MS patients, detectable even in the absence of clinically evident manifestations.
Publication types
-
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
MeSH terms
-
Adult
-
Female
-
Gene Expression / immunology
-
Humans
-
Immunoglobulin Variable Region / genetics*
-
Immunoglobulin Variable Region / immunology
-
Immunoglobulins
-
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
-
Male
-
Middle Aged
-
Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting / immunology*
-
Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting / pathology
-
Myelin Basic Protein / immunology
-
Oligoclonal Bands
-
Polymorphism, Single-Stranded Conformational
-
RNA, Messenger / analysis
-
Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / genetics*
-
Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / immunology
-
T-Lymphocytes / immunology
Substances
-
Immunoglobulin Variable Region
-
Immunoglobulins
-
Myelin Basic Protein
-
Oligoclonal Bands
-
RNA, Messenger
-
Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta