T-cell receptor Vα and Vβ gene use by infiltrating T cells in labial glands of patients with Sjögren's syndrome

Sjögren's syndrome is an autoimmune disease affecting the exocrine glands; it is thought to result from T-cell-mediated damage. In the labial glands of 20 patients with Sjögren's syndrome, infiltrating T cells were immunohistochemically characterized, and T-cell receptor (TCR) gene expression was examined with a method based on polymerase chain reaction. Most of these lymphocytes expressed CD3, CD4, CD45RO, and TCRαβ, whereas less than 5% of them expressed CD25 and CD69. The TCR Vα and Vβ genes expressed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells were diverse, whereas the TCR Vα and Vβ repertoires in the labial glands were more restricted but were still heterogeneous. The predominantly used Vα and Vβ families in the labial glands, when compared with those in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, were found to vary in individual patients and also to differ from patient to patient. Thus the T-cell population in the labial glands was polyclonal but showed a more restricted pattern than that seen in peripheral blood mononuclear cells.