Comparison of the V beta repertoire in peripheral blood and in lymph nodes of HIV-infected subjects reveals skewed usage predominantly in CD8 super(+) T cells

• Published in: Clinical immunology and immunopathology Vol. 81; no. 2; pp. 200 - 209
• Main Authors: Carbonari, M, Cibati, M, Pesce, A M, Dell'Anna, L, D'Offizi, G, Angelici, A, Uccini, S, Fiorilli, M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.11.1996
• Subjects: human immunodeficiency virus
• ISSN: 0090-1229

Perturbations of the repertoire of variable- beta (V beta ) regions of the T cell receptor have been observed in patients infected by HIV and have been attributed to stimulation by viral antigens or superantigens. We further sought for traces of HIV-induced perturbations by comparing V beta repertoire in peripheral blood and in lymphoid tissues of six infected patients. V beta expression was studied with a panel of 17 anti-V beta antibodies covering about 50% of the entire repertoire. We observed major divergences between lymph nodes and peripheral blood in the expression of several V beta segments, and these differences were significantly more frequent in CD8 super(+) than in CD4 super(+) T cells (P = 0.0097). V beta 2 was perturbed in CD8 cells from all but one patient. One HIV-negative subject with localized reactive lymphadenopathy of unknown etiology had four perturbed V beta segments, including V beta 2, in CD8 super(+) cells, while another uninfected subject with an unreactive lymph node architecture had no perturbations. Our findings suggest that stimulation by HIV or by other antigens determines divergences in the V beta repertoire between lymphoid tissues and peripheral blood predominantly in CD8+ T cells.