Predominant expansion of V gamma 9/V delta 2 T cells in a tularemia patient

Infect Immun. 1992 Jun;60(6):2554-8. doi: 10.1128/iai.60.6.2554-2558.1992.

Abstract

We describe a 58-year-old man with tularemia and expanding gamma delta T cells in his peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) (32.7% of total PBL). In the present work, we analyzed the T-cell receptor V gamma/V delta repertoire of these cells by making use of the polymerase chain reaction and flow cytometry and found that they were mostly CD4- CD8- CD3+ V gamma 9/V delta 2+. The sequence analysis of 16 cDNA clones encoding the V gamma 9-J region revealed that the V gamma 9-Jp combination was strikingly overrepresented but that the junctional (N) region was heterogeneous. This suggested that the gamma delta T cells in PBL from a patient with tularemia were polyclonally expanded.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Base Sequence
  • CD4 Antigens / analysis
  • CD8 Antigens / analysis
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta / analysis*
  • T-Lymphocytes / immunology*
  • Tularemia / immunology*

Substances

  • CD4 Antigens
  • CD8 Antigens
  • Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta