Comprehensive assessment of the TCRBV repertoire in small T-cell samples by means of an improved and convenient multiplex PCR method

OBJECTIVE: Overall diversity of the T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoire can be regarded as a recapitulatory signature of a host's immunocompetence status. We aimed to establish a time- and cost-saving multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method for determining the TCR repertoire of conventional alphabeta T cells in small T-cell samples. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The method estimates the length distribution of the complementarity-determining regions 3 (CDR3) of beta variable (BV) gene segments (TCRBV repertoire) by multiplex PCR, followed by fluorescent run-off reactions to visualize BV-BC and/or BV-BJ rearrangements. Run-off products are separated on a capillary sequencer and subsequently analyzed with GeneScan or Genotyper programs. Detection-limit studies with normal T cells, KMS27 cells, and regulatory T cells were carried out to evaluate sensitivity and reproducibility. RESULTS: Head-to-head comparison of the method with conventional immunoscope assay has shown that it is a time- and cost-saving approach to characterize TCRBV and TCRBJ repertoires, including the presence of oligoclonal T cells in samples containing as few as 1 x 10(5) T cells. CONCLUSION: We have developed a multiplex PCR method that allows comprehensive assessment of the TCRBV repertoire at the BV-BC and BV-BJ levels, and saves a considerable amount of time, reagents, and cell input.