Multiple TCR V_β Usage by Infiltrates of Young NOD Mouse Islets of Langerhans: A Polymerase Chain Reaction Analysis

Because a restricted repertoire of T-cell receptor (TCR) V_βp gene expression has been reported in other autoimmune diseases, the possibility of similarly restricted V_α gene expression by T-cell infiltrates of NOD mouse islets was examined. With isolated islets from 4- to 12-wk-old NOD mice, a prospective polymerase chain reaction analysis with 18 V_β-specific oligonucleotide primers was performed on the noncloned and unexpanded islet-infiltrating T cells. The methodology used permitted the detection of a minimum of 50 T cells. In contrast to the restricted TCR V_β gene usage reported for other autoimmune diseases, infiltrates of even the youngest mice were characterized by expression of multiple V_β gene segments.