Biased expression of individual T cell receptor V gene segments in CD4+ and CD8+ human peripheral blood T lymphocytes

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Abstract
The expression of seven different α and β gene segments of the T cell receptor on normal human CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes, respectively, was examined using V gene‐specific monoclonal antibodies. We found a statistically significant (p < 0.001) bias of the expression of four V gene products towards the CD4+ subpopulation. In every individual analyzed, the Vβ5.1 gene segment was expressed to a higher degree among CD4+ compared to CD8+ cells, with a median value of 4.8% among CD4+ cells and 1.5% among CD8+ cells. There was also a statistically significant skewness in the usage of the Vβ6.7, Vβ8 and Vβ12 gene segments towards the CD4+ T cell population, but not as dominating as for the Vβ5.1. Lymphocytes from umbilical cord blood showed similar skewed reactivities for the Vβ5.1, Vβ6.7 and Vβ12‐specific monoclonal antibodies. Aspects of positive and negative selection, as possible explanations for these findings, are discussed.