Analysis of the adult thymus in reconstitution of T lymphocytes in HIV-1 infection
J. Clin. Invest. Barton F. Haynes, et al. 103:453 doi:10.1172/JCI5201 [Go to this article.]

Figure 6
Analysis of TCR Vβ repertoire diversity by spectratype analysis of TCR Vβ CDR3 length. Shown is analysis for 16 TCR Vβ families. (a and b) Analysis beginning before (week 3; a) and after (week 47; b) HAART-associated CD4⁺ T-cell rises in PB T cells. (c) Same analysis at week 47 in purified CD4⁺ T cells. Because of the recombination process of TCRs during T-cell development, TCR Vβ CDR3 sizes vary by as many as eight amino acids between any two TCR chains. This method of TCR repertoire analysis combines RT-PCR technology with analysis of message size in acrylamide gels to determine the relative abundance of TCR transcripts bearing particular CDR3 sizes within a T-cell sample. Thus, more normal or polyclonal patterns of TCR usage are seen in d in the study of a normal control. Less normal or oligoclonal patterns are seen in a for Vβ3 and Vβ6 T cells. Our analysis showed in patient no. 9 that TCR usage did not change in most Vβ families over time. However, rare new or enhanced usage of TCR clones was documented by week 47 in several Vβ families that were compatible with T-cell responses to antigenic challenge peripherally over time. c shows that the TCR clone patterns seen in unfractionated PB T cells at week 47 were also similar to the patterns seen in purified CD4⁺ T cells assayed from the same time point. (d) For comparison, TCR repertoire analysis in a representative normal non–HIV-1–infected subject is shown; it demonstrates the normal spectrum of TCR CDR3 length analysis. CDR3, complementary determining region-3; RT, reverse transcriptase; TCR, T-cell receptor; Vβ, β-chain variable region.