Limited diversity and selection of rearranged gamma genes in polyclonal T cells
Uppenkamp, M.; Pittaluga, S.; Lipford, E.H.; Cossman, J.
Journal of Immunology 138(5): 1618-1620
1987
ISSN/ISBN: 0022-1767 PMID: 2879868 Document Number: 300967
The role of a T.gamma. gene product in the immune response is not known. To investigate the participation of the T.gamma. gene in functional T cells, we estimated its variable (V.gamma.) gene diversity among mature polyclonal T cells and assayed for in vivo selection of rearranged V.gamma. genes during the immune response. In this study, we present evidence that functionally mature, normal human T cells have rearranged their T.gamma. genes but display a limited range of gene rearrangement choices. In contrast to clonal T cell neoplasms, an invariant array of seven T.gamma. gene rearrangements was found to be proportionately distributed within normal polyclonal T cell populations, as well as in benign polyclonal T cell proliferations incited by a wide variety of pathological conditions. Findings presented here indicate that the likelihood of rearrangement of each human V.gamma. gene may be fixed. Lack of selection of V.gamma. genes during the mature T cell immune response implies a limited role of any single V.gamma. gene at this stage of T cell development.