Clonal expansion of Vγ3/Vδ3‐expressing γδ T cells in an HIV‐1/2‐negative patient with CD4 T‐cell deficiency

Abstract

Immunological investigations were carried out in an HIV‐1/2//HTLV‐1‐negative patient with CD4 T‐cell deficiency (0.357–0.6 × 109/l) and expansion of γδ T cells which accounted for 26–42% of peripheral blood lymphocytes during an observation period of 3 years. Flow cytometry analyses with a panel of available Vγ/Vδ‐specific monoclonal antibodies indicated that the pathologically expanded γδ population expressed Vγ2 or Vγ3 paired with Vδ3 on the surface but lacked the expression of activation antigens such as CD38 or CD71. Cloning and sequencing of RT‐PCR products obtained after amplification of cDNA with Vγ‐Cγ and Vδ‐Cδ specific primers confirmed the presence of a clonally expanded Vγ3/Vδ3 population in the peripheral blood of this patient. Cytotoxicity assays performed with purified γδ T cells as effectors and resting or preactivated autologous CD4 T cells as targets failed to reveal evidence for autoreactive cytotoxicity of Vγ3/Vδ3 cells as a possible mechanism of CD4 T‐cell deficiency in this patient.

γδ T cells in cancer immunotherapy

“…γδ T cells possess unrestricted major histocompatibility complex (MHC) lytic activity and can react to bacteria, viruses, and tumors [32]. Therefore, they have become attractive target cells for adoptive cell transfer therapy [23, 30, 74].…”

Cutting Edge: CD1d Restriction and Th1/Th2/Th17 Cytokine Secretion by Human Vδ3 T Cells

“…The ligand specificities of Vδ3 T cells are unknown, but these cells are reported to be expanded in peripheral blood of renal and stem cell transplant recipients with cytomegalovirus activation (15–17), in patients with HIV infection (18) and B cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (19) and in healthy livers (20). Here we have enumerated and phenotyped Vδ3 T cells from human peripheral blood and developed a method for their expansion ex vivo .…”

Characterization of γδ T Cells Expressing CD158b, a Killer Cell Inhibitory Receptor, in a Patient with Chronic CD4+ Lymphocytopenia and Disseminated Mycobacterium intracellulare Infection

“…ϩ T cell deficiency (23,24), but never associated with this type of infection. On the other hand, both V␦1 ϩ and V␦2 ϩ T cells have been shown to be activated during mycobacterial infection (25).…”