1. Expansion of clonotypic T-cell populations in the peripheral blood of asymptomatic Gran Chaco Amerindians infected with HTLV-IIB.
- Author
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Love JL, Marchioli CC, Dube S, Bryz-Gornia V, Loughran TP Jr, Glaser JB, Esteban E, Feldman L, Ferrer JF, and Poiesz BJ
- Subjects
- Argentina epidemiology, Base Sequence, Cloning, Molecular, DNA analysis, DNA Primers chemistry, Genes, T-Cell Receptor beta genetics, Human T-lymphotropic virus 2, Humans, Immunophenotyping, Molecular Sequence Data, Paraguay epidemiology, Polymerase Chain Reaction, Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta genetics, Gene Rearrangement, beta-Chain T-Cell Antigen Receptor genetics, Indians, South American, Leukemia, T-Cell ethnology, Leukemia, T-Cell immunology, T-Lymphocytes immunology
- Abstract
Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from asymptomatic HTLV-II-infected and uninfected Gran Chaco Amerindians were analyzed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for expansions of T-cell receptor (TCR) V-beta gene clonotypes. Analyses were performed using primer pairs designed to identify expanded T-cell familial clonotypes based on their unique TCR beta gene rearrangements. Of the 30 HTLV-IIB-positive samples tested, five showed evidence of V-beta clonotypic T-cell expansion. Of the five expansions, two were monoclonotypic and the remaining three were oligoclonotypic. In comparison, 30 HTLV-II-negative Amerindians showed no evidence of clonotypic T-cell expansion. Amplified DNA from one of the monoclonotypic samples was subsequently cloned and sequenced and was found to have uniform variable/ diversity/joining sequences confirming its unique monoclonal T-cell expansion. This method of detecting clonal TCR beta gene rearrangements has the advantage over traditional Southern blot techniques of being more sensitive and specific even with suboptimal specimens. The prognostic significance of clonotypic T-cell expansion in a group such as the HTLV-II-infected Gran Chaco Amerindians remains to be determined.
- Published
- 1998
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