Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Clinical and Experimental Immunology logoLink to Clinical and Experimental Immunology
. 1992 Aug;89(2):279–284. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2249.1992.tb06945.x

A persistent T cell expansion in the peripheral blood of a normal adult male: a new clinical entity?

J Grunewald 1, M Jeddi-Tehrani 1, H Dersimonian 1, R Andersson 1, H Wigzell 1
PMCID: PMC1554420  PMID: 1386298

Abstract

A dramatic and persistent T cell expansion in a healthy adult male was initially identified, using anti-T cell receptor for antigen (TCR)-specific MoAbs. The expanded T cells were found to be expressing TCR containing V alpha 12.1 and V beta 5.2, and they composed approximately one third of all the CD8+ T cells. The cells were shown to be not only non-activated (HLA-DR-, IL-2R-) but also of 'virgin' cell type (CD45RA+/CD45RO-) and they persisted over the observation period of more than one and a half years. Various T and B cell markers, and all other laboratory and physical parameters analysed, were normal. The expanded CD8+ T cells were further characterized by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification, using V beta- and C beta-specific primers, followed by hybridization with J beta-specific probes. Close to 90% of the V alpha 12.1+ V beta 5.2+ T cells were found to utilize the J beta 2.5 gene segment, thus strongly suggesting the expanded T cells to be monoclonal. The condition may constitute a T cell counterpart to 'monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance' (MGUS), and by analogy we suggest it should be designated 'monoclonal T cell expansion of undetermined significance' (MTUS).

Full text

PDF
279

Images in this article

282Fig. 3
on p.282
282Fig. 4
on p.282

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Bigler R. D., Fisher D. E., Wang C. Y., Rinnooy Kan E. A., Kunkel H. G. Idiotype-like molecules on cells of a human T cell leukemia. J Exp Med. 1983 Sep 1;158(3):1000–1005. doi: 10.1084/jem.158.3.1000. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Boylston A. W., Borst J., Yssel H., Blanchard D., Spits H., de Vries J. E. Properties of a panel of monoclonal antibodies which react with the human T cell antigen receptor on the leukemic line HPB-ALL and a subset of normal peripheral blood T lymphocytes. J Immunol. 1986 Jul 15;137(2):741–744. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Burton D. A., Shepherd G. M., Siskind G. W., Posnett D. N. T cell receptor variable gene expression: analysis in ragweed-sensitive patients during allergen exposure. Int Arch Allergy Appl Immunol. 1990;91(3):306–310. doi: 10.1159/000235132. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Choi Y. W., Kotzin B., Herron L., Callahan J., Marrack P., Kappler J. Interaction of Staphylococcus aureus toxin "superantigens" with human T cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1989 Nov;86(22):8941–8945. doi: 10.1073/pnas.86.22.8941. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Choi Y., Lafferty J. A., Clements J. R., Todd J. K., Gelfand E. W., Kappler J., Marrack P., Kotzin B. L. Selective expansion of T cells expressing V beta 2 in toxic shock syndrome. J Exp Med. 1990 Sep 1;172(3):981–984. doi: 10.1084/jem.172.3.981. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Cossarizza A., Kahan M., Ortolani C., Franceschi C., Londei M. Preferential expression of V beta 6.7 domain on human peripheral CD4+ T cells. Implication for positive selection of T cells in man. Eur J Immunol. 1991 Jun;21(6):1571–1574. doi: 10.1002/eji.1830210637. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. DerSimonian H., Band H., Brenner M. B. Increased frequency of T cell receptor V alpha 12.1 expression on CD8+ T cells: evidence that V alpha participates in shaping the peripheral T cell repertoire. J Exp Med. 1991 Sep 1;174(3):639–648. doi: 10.1084/jem.174.3.639. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Grunewald J., Ahlberg R., Lefvert A. K., DerSimonian H., Wigzell H., Janson C. H. Abnormal T-cell expansion and V-gene usage in myasthenia gravis patients. Scand J Immunol. 1991 Aug;34(2):161–168. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-3083.1991.tb01533.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Grunewald J., Janson C. H., Eklund A., Ohrn M., Olerup O., Persson U., Wigzell H. Restricted V alpha 2.3 gene usage by CD4+ T lymphocytes in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from sarcoidosis patients correlates with HLA-DR3. Eur J Immunol. 1992 Jan;22(1):129–135. doi: 10.1002/eji.1830220120. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Grunewald J., Janson C. H., Wigzell H. Biased expression of individual T cell receptor V gene segments in CD4+ and CD8+ human peripheral blood T lymphocytes. Eur J Immunol. 1991 Mar;21(3):819–822. doi: 10.1002/eji.1830210342. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Grunewald J., Shankar N., Wigzell H., Janson C. H. An analysis of alpha/beta TCR V gene expression in the human thymus. Int Immunol. 1991 Jul;3(7):699–702. doi: 10.1093/intimm/3.7.699. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Gulwani-Akolkar B., Posnett D. N., Janson C. H., Grunewald J., Wigzell H., Akolkar P., Gregersen P. K., Silver J. T cell receptor V-segment frequencies in peripheral blood T cells correlate with human leukocyte antigen type. J Exp Med. 1991 Nov 1;174(5):1139–1146. doi: 10.1084/jem.174.5.1139. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Janson C. H., Grunewald J., Osterborg A., DerSimonian H., Brenner M. B., Mellstedt H., Wigzell H. Predominant T cell receptor V gene usage in patients with abnormal clones of B cells. Blood. 1991 Apr 15;77(8):1776–1780. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Janson C. H., Tehrani M. J., Mellstedt H., Wigzell H. Anti-idiotypic monoclonal antibody to a T-cell chronic lymphatic leukemia. Characterization of the antibody, in vitro effector functions and results of therapy. Cancer Immunol Immunother. 1989;28(3):225–232. doi: 10.1007/BF00204993. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Maecker H. T., Levy R. Prevalence of antigen receptor variants in human T cell lines and tumors. J Immunol. 1989 Feb 15;142(4):1395–1404. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Mellstedt H., Holm G., Björkholm M. Multiple myeloma, Waldenström's macroglobulinemia, and benign monoclonal gammopathy: characteristics of the B cell clone, immunoregulatory cell populations and clinical implications. Adv Cancer Res. 1984;41:257–289. doi: 10.1016/s0065-230x(08)60018-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Moller D. R., Konishi K., Kirby M., Balbi B., Crystal R. G. Bias toward use of a specific T cell receptor beta-chain variable region in a subgroup of individuals with sarcoidosis. J Clin Invest. 1988 Oct;82(4):1183–1191. doi: 10.1172/JCI113715. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Oksenberg J. R., Stuart S., Begovich A. B., Bell R. B., Erlich H. A., Steinman L., Bernard C. C. Limited heterogeneity of rearranged T-cell receptor V alpha transcripts in brains of multiple sclerosis patients. Nature. 1990 May 24;345(6273):344–346. doi: 10.1038/345344a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Paliard X., West S. G., Lafferty J. A., Clements J. R., Kappler J. W., Marrack P., Kotzin B. L. Evidence for the effects of a superantigen in rheumatoid arthritis. Science. 1991 Jul 19;253(5017):325–329. doi: 10.1126/science.1857971. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Posnett D. N., Schmelkin I., Burton D. A., August A., McGrath H., Mayer L. F. T cell antigen receptor V gene usage. Increases in V beta 8+ T cells in Crohn's disease. J Clin Invest. 1990 Jun;85(6):1770–1776. doi: 10.1172/JCI114634. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Posnett D. N., Wang C. Y., Friedman S. M. Inherited polymorphism of the human T-cell antigen receptor detected by a monoclonal antibody. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1986 Oct;83(20):7888–7892. doi: 10.1073/pnas.83.20.7888. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Smith S. H., Brown M. H., Rowe D., Callard R. E., Beverley P. C. Functional subsets of human helper-inducer cells defined by a new monoclonal antibody, UCHL1. Immunology. 1986 May;58(1):63–70. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Stamenkovic I., Stegagno M., Wright K. A., Krane S. M., Amento E. P., Colvin R. B., Duquesnoy R. J., Kurnick J. T. Clonal dominance among T-lymphocyte infiltrates in arthritis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1988 Feb;85(4):1179–1183. doi: 10.1073/pnas.85.4.1179. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Clinical and Experimental Immunology are provided here courtesy of British Society for Immunology

RESOURCES