Skewed usage of TCR-Vβ families in conventional T cells and
Tregs of individual patients with AIN
Based on the standard value of the usage of 24 TCR-Vβ families in
age-matched control subjects (Table 3 ), the usages of TCR-Vβ
families in conventional T cells and Tregs were individually compared in
patients with AIN. The number of patients with AIN who showed skewed
usages of TCR-Vβ families in conventional T cells was significantly
higher than that of age-matched control subjects (76.5% vs. 40.9%,
respectively; p = 0.024) (Figure 4a ). Similarly, the
number of
CD4+CD25+CD127lowT cells was significantly higher in patients with AIN than age-matched
control (76.5% vs 45.5%, respectively; p = 0.047)
(Figure 4a ). There were strongly skewed usages in several
TCR-Vβ families that exceeded the expression of the mean +3 SD of
age-matched control subjects. Three of 17 patients in conventional T
cells (patients 4, 10, and 16) and eight of 17 patients in Tregs
(patients 2, 4, 5, 7, 10, 14, 16, and 17), respectively showed values
higher than the mean + 3 SD in some TCR-Vβ families. In addition, we
compared the increased/decreased usage of TCR-Vβ families in
conventional T cells or Tregs. Patients with AIN showed more increased
numbers than age-matched control subjects in both conventional T cells
and Tregs (p < 0.01 and p < 0.0001,
respectively) (Figure 4b ). In contrast, there was no
significant difference in the decreased numbers of TCR-Vβ families in
conventional T cells or Tregs (Figure 4b ). Thus, it appears
that patients with AIN show variational and skewed usage of TCR-Vβ
families in both conventional T cells and Tregs compared with those
recorded in age-matched control subjects.