The selection of various T-cell receptor (TCR) gene families and complex rearrangements during intra-thymic differentiation provide the basis for the expression of antigen specificity by mature T cells. TCR beta variable (TCRBV) transcripts can be identified by RT-PCR, but multiple reactions are required to detect all genes of the TCRBV subfamilies. We describe here a multiplex PCR method that amplifies 46 functional genes comparing 23 TCRBV families in 5 reactions where each reaction contains 4 to 7 specific primers together with a single fluorescence-tagged TCR beta constant region primer. Between 8 and 10 distinct subtypes within each of the 23 TCRBV families can be identified by analysis of the CDR3 length. Multiplex PCR products isolated from agarose gels can be subjected to direct sequencing for confirmation and definitive clonotyping if necessary. The data illustrated here show that the multiplex PCR technique is useful for screening TCRBV usage and can be easily adapted for analysis of clonal composition in T-cell populations.

Results of a previous study suggested that recipient mismatching for the minor histocompatibility antigen HA-1 is associated with acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after allogeneic marrow transplantation. In that study, most patients received either cyclosporine or methotrexate for GVHD prophylaxis, and a cytotoxic T-cell clone was used to test for HA-1 disparity. To facilitate large-scale testing, we developed a method that uses genomic DNA to identify HA-1 alleles. A retrospective study was conducted to correlate HA-1 disparity and the occurrence of acute GVHD in 237 HLA-A2–positive white patients who had received a marrow or peripheral blood stem cell transplant from an HLA-identical sibling. All patients received both methotrexate and cyclosporine for GVHD prophylaxis. The presence of HLA-A*0201 was confirmed in 34 of the 36 HA-1 disparate pairs by sequencing the HLA-A locus. Grades II-IV GVHD occurred in 22 (64.7%) of these 34 patients, compared with 86 (42.8%) of the 201 patients without HA-1 disparity (odds ratio, 2.45; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.15 to 5.23; P = .02). Recipient HA-1 disparity showed a trend for association with acute GVHD (odds ratio, 2.1; 95% CI, 0.91 to 4.68; P = .08) when a multivariable logistic regression model was used to include additional risk factors. These data are consistent with results of the previous study, suggesting an association between HA-1 disparity and risk of acute GVHD, but the strength of this association may be lower in patients who received both methotrexate and cyclosporine than in those who received methotrexate or cyclosporine alone.

Analysis of HLA restriction specificity is one of the important steps in characterizing T cell clones. This usually requires either a panel of HLA-typed cells or HLA cDNA transfectants. Although preparation of HLA cDNA transfectants is laborious, utilization of transfectants is advantageous when a suitable panel is not available due to linkage disequilibrium or rarity of the HLA allele of interest. In this report, we describe an efficient and rapid HLA cloning and expression system. Three sets of PCR primers specific for HLA-A, B and C loci were designed by extensively sequencing 5'- and 3'- untranslated regions of HLA class I genes. The PCR-amplified products were introduced into modified Phoenix retrovirus vectors containing a puromycin resistant gene under the control of a LTR promotor. Gibbon ape leukemia virus (GALV)-pseudotyped retrovirus was produced and infected into B-lymphoid cell lines. Following expansion in selection media, more than 80% of cells expressed transduced HLA at a comparable level to that normally expressed. These results indicate that locus-specific PCR cloning and utilization of GALV-pseudotyped retroviral vector can be an effective and relatively efficient tool for constructing a panel of different HLA transfectants.