Skewed T-cell receptor repertoire: more than a marker of malignancy, a tool to dissect the immunopathology of inflammatory diseases

F. Pandolfi, R. Cianci, F. Casciano, D. Pagliari, T.De Pasquale, R. Landolfi, G.Di Sante, J.T. Kurnick, F. Ria

Article ID: 6209
Vol 25, Issue 2, 2011
DOI: https://doi.org/10.54517/jbrha6209
Received: 9 July 2011; Accepted: 9 July 2011; Available online: 9 July 2011; Issue release: 9 July 2011

Abstract

The highly diverse heterodimeric surface T cell receptor (TCR) gives the T lymphocyte its specificity for MHC-bound peptides needed to initiate antigen-recognition. In normal peripheral blood, spleen and lymph nodes, the TCR repertoire of the T lymphocytes is usually polyclonal. However, in malignancies such as leukemias, as well as in lymphoproliferative diseases of mature T cells, the TCR is a reflection of the clonality of the malignant cells and is therefore monoclonal. Several clinical conditions (mainly solid tumors and autoimmune diseases) have been described where the TCR repertoire is restricted. The ability to demonstrate clonal TCR usage provides a useful tool to dissect the immunopathology of inflammatory diseases. In this review we discuss these findings and propose to sub-divide diseases with restricted TCR repertoire into a group of conditions in which there is a known TCR ligand, as opposed to diseases in which the restricted TCR repertoire is the result of impaired T-cell development. This classification sheds light on the pathogenesis of several inflammatory diseases


Keywords

T-cell receptor;solid tumors melanoma;autoimmune diseases;skewed TCR repertoire;spectratyping;rheumatoid arthritis


References

Supporting Agencies



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