Heterogeneity of rearranged T cell receptor V alpha and V beta gene transcripts in synovial fluid T cells of HLA-B27 positive reactive arthritis patients

To analyze the T cell receptor (TCR) V-alpha/beta gene usage by synovial fluid (SF) and peripheral blood (PB) T cells of HLA-B27+ reactive arthritis (ReA) patients. The TCR V-alpha/beta gene usage was determined by the polymerase chain reaction on freshly isolated SF and PB mononuclear cells (MNC) of five HLA-B27+ ReA patients. A total of 30 TCR V alpha and 23 V beta (sub)family specific primers in combination with a C alpha or C beta specific primer, respectively, were used. In five patients most of the TCR V alpha and V beta gene segments expressed by PB T cells were also detected in the paired SF samples. Although one patient showed an increased expression of TCR V alpha2 in SF when compared to PB, the SF samples showed a heterogeneous TCR V-gene repertoire similar to PB. Although this study was limited to a small group of patients, the apparent lack of a restricted TCR V-gene repertoire in SF does not support the involvement of a single or limited number of T cell subsets in the disease process of HLA-B27+ ReA patients.