T-cell-receptor gene usage of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans-reactive periodontal CD4+ T cells from localized juvenile periodontitis patients and human peripheral blood leukocyte-reconstituted NOD/SCID mice

• Published in: Journal of periodontal research Vol. 37; no. 5; pp. 399 - 404
• Main Authors: Gao, Xuijuan, Teng, Yen-Tung A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Munksgaard International Publishers 01.10.2002; Blackwell
• Subjects: Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans; Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans - immunology; Aggressive Periodontitis - genetics; Aggressive Periodontitis - immunology; Aggressive Periodontitis - microbiology; Animals; Antigens, Bacterial - genetics; Antigens, Bacterial - immunology; Biological and medical sciences; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes - immunology; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes - metabolism; Dentistry; Epitopes - genetics; Epitopes - immunology; Facial bones, jaws, teeth, parodontium: diseases, semeiology; Female; Genes, T-Cell Receptor alpha - genetics; Genes, T-Cell Receptor beta - genetics; Humans; HuPBL-NOD/SCID mice; immune repertoire; Leukocytes - immunology; Leukocytes - metabolism; localized juvenile periodontitis; Male; Medical sciences; Mice; Mice, Inbred NOD; Mice, SCID; Non tumoral diseases; Otorhinolaryngology. Stomatology; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell - genetics; Superantigens - genetics; T-cell-receptor genes; Immune response; Pathophysiology; Stomatology; Leukocyte; Rodentia; Receiver; Experimental study; Pasteurellaceae; Polymerase chain reaction; Periodontal disease; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Mouse; Animal; Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans; T-Lymphocyte; Juvenile periodontitis; Bacteria; Molecular biology
• ISSN: 0022-3484; 1600-0765
• DOI: 10.1034/j.1600-0765.2002.01006.x

We investigated the variable Vα and Vβ gene usage of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans‐reactive periodontal CD4+ T cell receptors (TCR) from: (i) four A. actinomycetemcomitans‐infected localized juvenile periodontitis (LJP) patients, (ii) four groups of A. actinomycetemcomitans‐inoculated NOD/SCID mice engrafted with individual LJP‐derived HuPBL and (iii) HuPBL samples of four LJP patients and two healthy control subjects, by quantitative PCR analyses. The results show that: (i) the majority of the TCR genes (82.5% of Vα and 91.1% of Vβ) used by periodontal CD4+ T cells in A. actinomycetemcomitans‐inoculated HuPBL‐engrafted NOD/SCID mice overlap with those used by local periodontal T cells in LJP patients, (ii) although A. actinomycetemcomitans‐reactive periodontal CD4+ TCR repertoire is relatively widespread, there are a few dominant genes shared by the LJP patients, suggesting a limited number of antigens or epitopes commonly recognized and (iii) A. actinomycetemcomitans likely lacks superantigenic characteristics. These results suggest A. actinomycetemcomitans‐associated human CD4+ T cell repertoire established in HuPBL‐NOD/SCID mice provides a useful approach to study specific aspects of immune–parasite interactions in the periodontium.