Original article Inhibition of collagen-induced arthritis by DNA vaccines encoding TCR Vβ5.2 and TCR Vβ8.2

Background Arthritogenic T lymphocytes with common T cell receptor （TCR） Vβ clonotypes, infiltrating in the articulars of rheumatoid arthritis （RA） patients, play a central role in the pathogenesis of RA. TCR Vβ5.2 and TCR Vβ8.2 are the main pathogenic T cell clonotypes in the course of collagen-induced arthritis （CIA） progression in Lewis rats. To investigate a TCR-based immunotherapy for RA, we constructed recombinant DNA vaccines encoding TCR Vβ5.2 and TCR Vβ8.2, and evaluated the inhibitive effects of the two vaccines on CIA rats.
Methods Genes encoding TCR Vβ5.2 and TCR Vβ8.2 were amplified by RT-PCR from spleen lymphocytes of Lewis rats and cloned into the eukaryotic expression vector pTargeT. The expression of vaccines was confirmed by RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. The inhibitive effects of the vaccines on articulars of CIA rats were assessed with arthritis index evaluation and histology. Interferon γ （IFN-γ） and interleukin （IL）-4 production by spleen lymphocytes were tested with enzyme-linked immunospot assay （ELISPOT） technique, the changes in peripheral CD4^＋ and CD8^＋ lymphocyte populations were tested by flow cytometry, and the level of anti-CII antibody in serum was assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）.
Results Recombinant DNA vaccines pTargeT-TCR Vβ5.2 and pTargeT-pTCR Vβ8.2 were successfully constructed. Both vaccines inhibited CIA, which alleviated the arthritis index score （P 〈0.05）, decreased the level of IFN-γ （P 〈0.05）, and reduced the ratio of CD4^＋/CD8^＋ lymphocytes （P 〈0.05） and the anti-CII antibody in serum （P 〈0.05）. In addition, the histological change in DNA-vaccinated rats was less serious than CIA rats. Compared to pTCR Vβ 8.2 and pTCR Vβ 5.2 groups, the group that was injected with a combination of the two vaccines showed stronger inhibitive effects on CIA than either individual vaccine.
Conclusion The recombinant plasmids pTargeT-TCR Vβ5.2 and pTargeT-TCR Vβ8.2 have obvious inhibatory effects on CIA rats and better effects could be achieved when the vaccines were used in combination.     

Changes in the T-cell receptor Vβ gene repertoire after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Background We distinguished graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) from graft-versus-leukemia (GVL) effects and to investigate the distribution of T-cell receptor (TCR) Vβ gene repertoire in individuals with leukemia before and after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). Methods Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were obtained from 10 normal individuals, 8 donors and 11 patients with leukemia before and after transplantation. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of complementarity-determining region 3 (CDR3) of 24 TCR Vβ genes was used to examine serial samples of PBMC. The PCR products were further analyzed by genescan to evaluate clonality of T cells. Results The 24 TCR Vβ gene repertoire displayed highly diverse and polyclonal spectratypes in all normal individuals and 4 of 8 donors. Another 4 donors expressed part of the 24 TCR V~ subfamily and 1 donor had oligoclonality. The expressions of the 24 TCR V~ subfamilies were skewed and restricted in 11 leukemia patients before and after transplantation. Some absences of 24 TCR Vβ subfamily expression were quite similar between the recipients pro-transplantation and related donors. The number of subfamilies expressed increased over time post-transplantation, but the restricted expressions of the subfamily could last 6-30 months after transplantation. All patients with GVHD and some without GVHD exhibited T cell clonal expansion. The expansive T cell clone was distributed in Vβ 2-3, 16-17, 18-19, 21 and Vβ 23 in patients with GVHD and in Vβ 7, 9, 16 and 19 in patients without GVHD. One patient with syngeneic-HSCT (syn-HSCT) had Vβ 15 and 16 T cell expansion after transplantation. One patient displayed Vβ 18 T cell expansion after donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI). Conclusions Normal individuals express the entire 24 TCR Vβ gene repertoire and have polyclonal distribution. However, the TCR Vβ gene repertoire is only partially expressed in some donors. The TCR Vβ gene repertoire is restrictedly expressed in a skew fashion in patients with leukemia before and after transplantation. The number of TCR Vβ gene subfamilies increases over time posttransplantation. GVHD and GVL effects may induce the proliferation of T cell clones. Clinical GVL response may be distinguished from GVHD alloreactivity through the host MHC antigen.     

Stable clonal expansion of the T-cell receptor Vβ6， Vβ17 and Vβ19 T cells in a cGVHD case using genescan analysis

Objective To investigate the distribution and clonality of the T-cell receptor (TCR) Vβ repertoire in chronic graft versus host disease (cGVHD).Methods The complementarity determining region 3 (CDR3) of the TCRβ gene with 24 variab le regions was amplified in peripheral blood mononuclear cells drawn from one cG VHD patient after allogenic bone marrow transplantation (allo-BMT) 35, 39, 43 o r 45 months respectively, using RT-PCR, to observe the expression of TCR Vβ re pertoire T cells.The PCR products were further analyzed by genescan to evaluat e clonality of T cells.Results Fourteen or 16 TCR Vβ subfamily T cells were detected in each sample of cGVHD c ase. Oligoclonal T cells were identified in TCR Vβ 6, 16, 17, 19 and 21 subfamili es.The stable clonal T cells in all samples were identified in Vβ6, Vβ17 and Vβ21 subfamilies. Conclusion Skewing distribution and stable clonal expansion of T cells can be found in cG VHD cases and it may be related to the initiation of cGVHD.     

Expression of recombination-activating genes and T cell receptor gene recombination in the human T cell leukemia cell line

Background Recent studies have suggested that mature T cells can change their specificity through reexpression of recombination-activating genes （RAG） and RAG-mediated V（D）J recombination. This process is named receptor revision and has been observed in mature peripheral T cells from transgenic mice and human donors. However, whether the receptor revision in mature T cells is a random or orientated process remains poorly understood. Here we used the Jurkat human T cell line, which represents a mature stage of T cell development, as a model to investigate the regulation of T cell receptor （TCR） gene recombination. Methods TCR Dβ-Jβ signal joint T cell receptor excision DNA circles （sjTRECs） were determined by nested and seminested PCR. Double-strand DNA breaks at recombination signal sequences （RSSs） in the TCRVβ chain locus were detected by ligation-mediated-PCR. Further analysis of the complementarity-determining region 3 （CDR3） size of the TCRVβ chain was examined by the TCR GeneScan technique. Results RAG1, RAG2, and three crucial components of the nonhomologous DNA end-joining （NHEJ） pathway were readily detected in Jurkat. Characteristics of junctional diversity of Dβ2-Jβ2 signal joints and ds RSS breaks associated with the Dβ2 5＇ and Dβ 2 3＇ sites were detected in DNA from Jurkat cells. CDR3 size and the gene sequences of the TCRVβ chain did not change during cell proliferation. Conclusions RAG1 and RAG2 and ongoing TCR gene recombination are coexpressed in Jurkat cells, but the ongoing recombination process may not play a role in modification of the TCR repertoire.However, the results suggest that Jurkat could be used as a model for studying the regulation of RAGs and V（D）J recombination and as a ＂special＂ model of the coexistence of TCR gene rearrangements and ＂negative＂ receptor revision.     

Effects of Triptolide on the Expression and Activity of NF-κB in Synovium of Collagen-induced Arthritis Rats

Summary： The expression and activity of NF-kB in the synovium of collagen-induced arthritis （CIA） rats was detected in order to investigate the possible therapeutic effects of triptolide on rheumatoid arthritis （RA）. The experimental Wistar rat model of CIA was set up by intradermal injection of emulsion of bovine collagen 11 and the successful rate of setting-up models was evaluated by arthritis index （AI）. Rats were grouped randomly into three groups： normal, model and treatment group. The expression of TNF-α and IL-6 in synovial fluid was detected by ELISA, and the expression and activity of NF kB in synovium by immunohistochemistry method and by electrophoretic mobility shift assay （EMSA） respectively. As compared with normal group, the expression of TNF a and IL-6 in synovia （P〈0. 05）, and the expression and activity of NF-kB （P〈0.05） in synovium were increased in model group. There was statistical difference in above-mentioned indexes between model group and treatment group. Triptolide may play a protective role in IRA via downregulating the expression and activity of NF-kB in synovium.     

Construction of Recombinant Plasmid Harboring APP717 Mutation and Preliminary Study of APP Proteolysis

In order to investigate the pathogenesis of Alzheimer disease （AD） and study the enzymatic progress of amyloid precursor protein （APP）, the fluorescent eukaryotic expression plasmid of C99 was constructed containing APP717 mutation. The fragment encoding the last 99-aa of APP （which was named C99 containing APP717 mutation）, together with the fragment encoding yellow fluorescence protein （which was named YFP） were amplified by PCR. The two fragments （YFP and C99） were inserted into the vector pcDNA3.0. The recombinant plasmid pcDNA3.0-YFP-C99 was accomplished and its authenticity was confirmed by enzyme digestion and sequencing. Then SH-SY5Y cells were transiently transfected with the recombinant plasmid pcDNA3.0-YFP-C99. The expression of the fusion gene was detected by laser confocalmicroscopy. Amyloid-β （Aβ） was detected by both microscopy and immunochemistry. The authenticity of the construct was confirmed by the endonuclease digestion and DNA sequencing. The YFP fluorescence could be seen and proved the expression of fusion gene. Aβ labeled by YFP was detected by confocalmicroscopy and confirmed by immunocytochemistry. It was found that Aβ accumulated and deposited in the intracytoplasm, membrane and outside of the cell. Furthermore, Aβ accumulated mainly within the cell ahead of the deposition in the cell space and the cell shape was rough. It was suggested that Aβ could be generated within the cells. Aβ accumulated in the cell at the early stage before the deposition outside of the cells Intracellular Aβ accumulation induced the secondary damage to the cells and caused the cell shape rough. Taken together, the recombinant plasmid, pcDNA3.0-YFP-C99 could be a useful tool to further study the cleavage mechanism of APP and to explore the pathogenesis of AD.     

Role of T-cell receptor V beta 8.3 peptide vaccine in the prevention of experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis

Background T-cell receptor （TCR） plays an important role in the development of autoimmune diseases. Recently, it was reported that immunization of animals with TCR peptide derived from the pathogenic cells could prevent autoimmune diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate whether vaccination with a synthetic peptide from the hypervariable region of TCR Vβ 8.3, an experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis （EAU）-associated gene, was able to prevent the disease. Methods EAU was induced in Lewis rats by immunization with IRBP R16 peptide emulsified in complete Freund＇s adjuvant （CFA）. The clinical and histological appearances were scored. Delayed type hypersensitivity （DTH） and lymphocyte proliferation were detected. Cytokine levels of aqueous humour, supernatants of cells from spleen and draining lymph nodes were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. Gene expression of TCR Vβ8.3 on CD4^＋ T cells was examined by real time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （PCR）. Results After vaccination, the intraocular inflammation was significantly mitigated, antigen specific DTH and lymphocyte proliferation responses were suppressed, interleukin （IL）-2 in aqueous humour, interferon （IFN）-γ and IL-2 produced by the spleen and draining lymph node cells were significantly decreased, whereas the production of IL-4 and IL-10 were increased. The response of draining lymph node cells to TCR Vβ 8.3 peptide was enhanced after vaccination. Inoculation with CFA alone did not affect the severity of EAU and the above parameters. The suppression of EAU was much stronger in the group of four fold inoculations than the group of two fold inoculations. The expression of TCR Vβ 8.3 gene was significantly reduced in the group of fourfold inoculations. Conclusion Vaccination with the synthetic TCR Vβ 8.3 peptide could remarkably inhibit the development of EAU.     

Effect of local viral transfer of interleukin 10 gene on a rabbit arthritis model induced by interleukin 1β

Backgroud Interleukin 16 （IL-1β） is the principal mediator in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis. Continuous injection of interleukin 1β （IL-1β） into the knee articular cavities of anamals can induce models that resemble rheumatoid arthritis. The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of local recombinant retrovirus viral interleukin 10 （rRV-vlL-10） gene transfer treatment of a rabbit model of arthritis induced by IL-16. Methods An hlL-1β-induced rabbit rheumatoid arthritis model was established using the MFG-hlL-1β-neo-HIG-82 cell line, which is capable of continuous secretion of hlL-1β. After transfecting the rabbit synovial fibroblast cell line （MFG-hlL-1β-neo-HIG-82） with rRV-vlL-10, G418 was then added to identify the positive clone. The rRV-vlL-10 positive clone was injected into the established rabbit rheumatoid arthritis model through intra-articular injection. Successful gene transfer was determined by reverse transcripUon-polymerase chain reaction （RT-PCR） and immunohistochemistry. The levels of IL-1β before and after treatment were determined by enzyme- linked immunosorbent assay. Results Retrovirus vector was an effective vector both to synoviocytes in vitro and synovium tissue in vivo as confirmed by RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. The rabbit arthritis model treated with rRV-vlL-10 showed a dramatic remission of arthritis and a decline in the level of cytokines such as IL-1β. Conclusions Retrovirus-mediated transfecUon of vlL-10 successfully transferred the gene into rabbit synovium ex vivo and was able to suppress intra-articular inflammation response to IL-1β.     

Differential Gene Expression Profiles in Acute Hepatic Failure Model in Mice Infected with MHV-3 Virus Intervened by Anti-hepatic Failure Compound

Differential gene expression profiles in Balb/cJ mouse model of acute hepatic failure infected with MHV-3 virus intervened by anti-hepatic failure compound(AHFC) and the changes of cytokines regulated by genes were investigated.The Balb/cj mice were divided into AHFC-intervened group and control group randomly.Acute hepatic failure model of Balb/cJ mice infected with MHV-3 virus was established.The survival rate in the two groups was observed.It was found that the survival rate in the AHFC-intervened group and control group was 90% and 50% respectively 48 h after intraperitoneal injection of MHV-3(P<0.05).Before and after the experiment,the cytokines in peripheral blood of the survival mice were determined,and RNA was extracted from survival mouse liver tissue for the analysis of the differential gene expression by a 36 kb mouse oligonuleotide DNA array.In all the genes of microarray there were 332 genes expressed differently in the two groups,in which 234 genes were up-regulated and 78 genes down-regulated.Through clustering analysis,the differential expression of immune related genes,including TNF receptor superfamily,Kctd9,Bcl-2,Fgl2,IL-8,IL-6,IFN-γ,TNF-α etc.might be related with the curative effectiveness of AHFC.It was suggested that AHFC can balance the immune state of mouse model of acute hepatic failure infected with MHV-3 virus mainly through regulating the expression of immune related genes,decrease the immune damage and inhibit liver cell apoptosis of mouse acute hepatic failure model obviously so as to increase the survival rate of mouse models of acute hepatic failure.     

CVB3心肌炎CTL亚类TCR Vβ基因取用格局分析

目的探讨柯萨奇病毒（CVB3）心肌炎细胞毒T细胞（CTL）亚类（ACTL、VCTL、MCTL）TCR CDR3 Vβ基因取用格局。方法无菌摘取72h内新生Balb／c鼠心脏,培养单层心肌细胞并将其分为三组,分别用CVB3、放线菌素D处理和不经过任何处理;实验组制备CVB3心肌炎鼠模型,处死后将其肠系膜淋巴结制成单细胞悬液,分别加入上述三组单层心肌细胞,采用免疫吸附法获取ACTL、VCTL、MCTL,对照组鼠为正常小鼠处死后取肠系膜淋巴结制成单细胞悬液;采用MTT法对实验组ACTL、VCTL、MCTL和对照组T细胞进行细胞毒鉴定;常规进行RT-PCR,判断实验组细胞及对照组细胞的TCR Vβ基因取用格局。结果对照组T细胞表达Vβ基因全部20个家族,而实验组三类CTL的Vβ基因取用格局呈现明显的限制性,ACTL优势表达Vβ36、Vβ8．1、Vβ8．2、Vβ8．3,MCTL优势表达Vβ5．1、Vβ8．1、Vβ8．2、Vβ8．3,而VCTL优势表达Vβ7、Vβ8．1、Vβ8．2、Vβ8．3。结论CVB3心肌炎中导致心肌细胞损伤的CTL受到特异性抗原刺激后其TCR Vβ基因取用格局呈现明显的限制性。     

bcr-abl多肽诱导健康人外周血αβ+T细胞克隆性增殖

目的 分析bcr-abl多肽诱导健康人外周血T细胞TCR Vα和TCR Vβ基因选用和克隆性增殖情况,了解bcr-abl多肽相关的αβ+T细胞克隆.方法 利用T细胞液体培养法,应用bcr-abl多肽(KQSSKALQR)联合IL-2+抗CD3单抗+抗CD28单抗体外诱导T细胞(HLA-A0201限制性)扩增,同时设不...     

肺癌患者TCR Vβ亚家族表达及记忆性T细胞表达的研究

目的 探讨肺癌患者外周血T细胞及胸水肿瘤浸润性淋巴细胞(TIL)的T细胞受体(TCR)Vβ亚家族及记忆性T细胞的表达情况.方法 分离健康人和肺癌患者的T细胞,采用流式方法检测Vβ24个亚家族及CD45RO和CD28的表达情况,统计分析Vβ24个亚家族及记忆性T细胞的特点.结果 43例肺癌患者外周血TCR Vβ亚家族主要...     

类风湿关节炎患者Th17细胞膜上RANKL的表达及意义

目的探讨类风湿关节炎（rheumatoid arthritis,RA）患者外周血和关节液中Th17细胞膜上RANKL的表达水平与RA病情活动程度指标CRP、ESR、RF及DAS28评分的关系。方法用流式细胞术及RT-PCR方法检测RA患者外周血和关节液中Th17细胞膜上RANKL的表达水平。结果 RA患者外周血Th17细胞膜上RANKL表达明显高于健康对照组（P〈0.05）,RA患者关节液中Th17细胞膜上RANKL表达高于RA外周血（P〈0.05）,RA患者外周血Th17细胞膜上RANKL表达与DAS28评分呈正相关性（r=0.36,P〈0.05）。RTPCR结果提示RA患者CD4~＋T上RANKL表达较健康对照组升高（P〈0.05）。CD4~＋T细胞RANKL mRNA水平与IL-17mRNA水平呈显著正相关（r=0.63,P〈0.001）。结论 Th17细胞膜上RANKL表达明显升高,且与病情活动程度显著相关,提示Th17细胞可能参与RA骨破坏过程,在RA的破骨免疫致病机制中可能起重要作用。     

淋巴细胞白血病和淋巴瘤T细胞受体基因重排研究

目的：探讨淋巴细胞白血病及淋巴瘤的T淋巴细胞受体（TCR）Vβ亚家族分布特点。方法：用逆转录聚合酶链反应（RT-PCR）检测急性淋巴细胞白血病5例,慢性淋巴细胞白血病2例,弥漫大B淋巴瘤3例及外周T淋巴瘤3例患者的外周血或淋巴结T淋巴细胞TCR Vβ亚家族表达。对照组为健康人8例。结果：对照组健康8例外周血淋巴细胞表达全部24个Vβ亚家族。急性淋巴细胞白血病和慢性淋巴细胞白血病患者外周血淋巴细胞TCR Vβ亚家族均呈限制性表达,外周T淋巴瘤2例和弥漫大B淋巴瘤1例Vβ亚家族呈限制性表达,另外3例表达未受抑制。而淋巴瘤患者淋巴结标本Vβ亚家族全部呈限制性表达。结论：TCR基因重排对淋巴瘤和淋巴细胞白血病的诊断有辅助作用。     

类风湿关节炎滑膜巨噬细胞基因芯片分析

目的: 寻找并分析类风湿关节炎（rheumatoid arthritis,RA）的关键基因,从而更好地理解RA的潜在发病机制。方法: 采用表达谱的综合分析方法鉴定RA滑膜液巨噬细胞中差异表达基因（differential expression genes,DEGs）。利用功能注释、蛋白蛋白相互作用(protein protein interaction,PPI)网络构建以及寻找核心基因,探讨DEGs在RA中的潜在生物学作用。在GSE17755数据集中对鉴定的DEGs在RA外周血中的mRNA表达水平进行验证。结果： 与对照组相比,RA患者滑膜液巨噬细胞中共找出489个DEGs,其中上调基因359个,下调基因130个。DEGs在炎症反应调节、趋化因子受体结合、肿瘤坏死因子信号通路等方面均有较显著的富集。STAT1、CXCL10、FPR2、ITGAM、PPBP、IRF7、CCL5、OASL、OAS3、IRF1是DEGs的PPI网络中的核心基因。在GSE17755数据集中检测除FPR2之外的9个核心基因的mRNA表达情况,结果表明,与正常人相比,RA患者外周血细胞中STAT1、PPBP、OASL的表达水平明显上调,ITGAM、IRF7、CCL5、IRF1有下调的趋势。结论： STAT1与OASL等基因在RA疾病中可能发挥重要作用。     

类风湿关节炎患者外周血和关节滑膜液中淋巴细胞CD25 HLA-DR的表达及意义

目的:研究类风湿关节炎(RA)患者外周血和关节滑膜液淋巴细胞CD25、HLA-DR的表达及意义。方法:采用流式细胞仪分析RA患者外周血和关节滑膜液淋巴细胞活化标志CD25、HLA-DR的表达。结果:RA患者外周血表达CD25的T淋巴细胞和B淋巴细胞与正常对照组相比均明显增多(P<0.01),关节滑膜表达CD25的B淋巴细胞和表达HLA-DR的T淋巴细胞和B淋巴细胞与正常对照组相比亦明显增多(P<0.01)。结论:RA患者外周血与关节滑液中活化的T淋巴细胞和B淋巴细胞增多,免疫功能亢进,这对RA的发生发展起着重要的作用。     

Th17细胞及相关细胞因子在类风湿关节炎中醮检测及临床意义

目的 探讨IL-6、IL-17在类风湿关节炎（RA）患者外周血及关节液中的表达及临床意义.方法 RA患者51例为RA外周血组,其中15例为RA关节液组,30例健康者作为对照组,IL-6及IL-17采用ELISA方法检测.结果 RA外周血组及关节液组具有较高的IL-6、IL-17检测值（P ＜ 0.05）.ESR、RF、CRP与RA外周血及关节液中IL-6呈显著正相关,RA患者关节液中IL-17与RA各观察指标呈正相关（P ＜ 0.05）.结论 RA患者的IL-6、IL-17在其外周血及关节液中的过度表达提示其在RA的发病过程中可能发挥着重要的作用.