Characterization of a unique T-cell clone established from a patient with HAM/TSP which recognized HTLV-I-infected T-cell antigens as well as spinal cord tissue antigens

• Published in: Journal of neuroimmunology 1996-04, Vol.65 (2), p.97-105
• Main Authors: Nagai, Masahiro, Yashiki, Shinji, Fujiyoshi, Toshinobu, Fujiyama, Chihaya, Kitze, Bernd, Izumo, Shuji, Osame, Mitsuhiro, Sonoda, Shunro
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; AIDS/HIV; Amino Acid Sequence; Antigens - immunology; Clone Cells; CNS-reactive T-cell clone; Cytokines - biosynthesis; Deltaretrovirus Infections - immunology; Genes; HAM/TSP; Human T-lymphotropic virus 1; Humans; Lymphocyte Activation; Male; Molecular Sequence Data; Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic - immunology; Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic - pathology; Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell - genetics; Spinal Cord - immunology; T-cell cloning; T-cell receptor rearrangement; T-Lymphocytes - immunology; T-Lymphocytes - metabolism
• ISSN: 0165-5728; 1872-8421
• DOI: 10.1016/0165-5728(96)00002-1

Five T-cell clones reactive to autologous HTLV-I-infected T-cells (KODA-TV) were established from peripheral blood lymphocytes of a HAM/TSP patient (KODA) by the limiting dilution method. All the clones showed CD3 +, CD4 + and CD25 + surface markers and expressed αβ + T-cell receptors to recognize KODA-TV antigens. One of the five T-cell clones (KODA-408) was infected with HTLV-I but the remaining four clones (KODA-400, 404, 405 and 409) were free of HTLV-I infection. KODA-408 recognized both KODA-TV and spinal cord antigens, the latter being extracted from autopsy tissues of a HTLV-I seronegative donor. KODA-408 did not recognize either alloantigens of peripheral blood mononuclear cells extracted from unrelated HTLV-I seronegative donors or purified human myelin basic protein. KODA-408 T-cell clone produced a considerable amount of TNF-aβ, IFN-γ, and IL-6. The CDR3 motif of KODA-408 T-cell receptor showed a unique sequence CASSAGQS of Vβ8-Dβ-Jβ1.5. These results indicated that HAM/TSP CD4 + T-cells were polyclonally activated by HTLV-I infection and antigenic stimulation. The T-cell repertoire shaped by HTLV-I infection included T-cells which recognized HTLV-I-infected T-cell antigens as well as spinal cord antigen in particular.