Population study of T cell receptor Vβ gene usage in peripheral blood lymphocytes: differences in ethnic groups

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Abstract
SUMMARY: The T ceil receptor (TCR) Vβ repertoire in peripheral biood lymphocytes (PBL) of a largc number of healthy individuals was analysed by quantifying Vβ-specific mRNA using the method of anchored muitiprimer DNA ampiification and a reverse dot blot assay. Among 16 Vβ gene families examined, particular Vβ genes were noted to be unequally expressed in the PBL of 70 healthy donors. The frequently used genes belong to the Vβ 4, 5, 6, 8 and 13 (12) families, while Vβ 1, 9 and 15 were the least frequently used gene families. This bias in gene usage was observed in all individuals. Marked deviation from the mean percentage usage was noted for some Vβ genes in individuals when their PBL were examined serially. but the common pattern of biased usage was not grossly distorted. When the TCR repertoire of different ethnic groups was examined, a lower mean frequency of Vβ 3·2 was seen in the repertoire of 19 Caucasians compared with 25 age-matched Samoans (P< 0·003). Conversely, the expression of Vβ 5·1 and of Vβ 5·3 was higher in Caucasians than in 5 age-matchcd Polynesians (Maoris and Samoans, P< 0·003). Considering the 20% co-efficicnt of variation in the estimate of Vβ gene usage, our data from 70 unrelated individuals suggest that in PBL, individual variations in the TCR repertoire were superimposed upon a common biased usage of Vβ genes in the general population.