LACK OF PREFERENTIAL V-BETA-USAGE IN SYNOVIAL T-CELLS OF RHEUMATOID-ARTHRITIS PATIENTS

Abstract

The T-cell receptor Vbeta subfamily repertoires of synovial and peripheral T cells of 8 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients were determined using the polymerase chain reaction. Three normal controls were included. Some of the rheumatoid synovial samples did not express the complete range of Vbeta families and lacked as many as 6 gene families. However, these patients showed considerable individual variation in expression. Overall, the data do not support preferential T-cell receptor Vbeta usage in synovial T cells of RA patients either in comparison to their autochthonous peripheral T cells or to peripheral T cells of normal subjects.