Analysis of the interindividual conservation of T cell receptor α- and β-chain variable regions gene in the peripheral blood of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

Abstract

Summary The aim of this study was to find conserved motifs in specific T cell receptor (TCR) α- and β-chains, and to analyse the association between complementarity determining region 3 (CDR3) spectratype and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) activity. TCR α-and β-chain CDR3 spectratypes were analysed in 20 SLE patients. The CDR3 spectratypes of three patients were monitored over time, and the CDR3 regions of clonally expanded T cells were sequenced. CDR3 spectratype analysis showed prominent usage of TCR AV8, AV14, AV23, AV30, AV31, BV2, BV8, BV11, BV14, BV16, BV19 and BV24 families in SLE patients. The CDR3 spectratype showed dynamic change correlating with SLE activity. The sequence of the CDR3 region in clonally expanded T cells suggested a conserved GGX amino acid motif in both α- and β-chains. The Ja34 and Jb2s1 region genes were found in high frequency. Both TCR Vα and Vβ gene usage is highly restricted in SLE, suggesting that the TCRs recognize a limited number of antigenic epitopes. The conserved motifs and limited use of joining region genes may indicate the recognition of similar antigenic epitopes in multiple individuals.