Regional and global changes in TCRαβ T cell repertoires in the gut are dependent upon the complexity of the enteric microflora

William N. Mwangi, Richard K. Beal, Claire Powers, Xikun Wu, Tom Humphrey, Michael Watson, Michael Bailey, Aharon Friedman, Adrian L. Smith*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

53 Scopus citations

Abstract

The repertoire of gut associated T cells is shaped by exposure to microbes, including the natural enteric microflora. Previous studies compared the repertoire of gut associated T cell populations in germ free (GF) and conventional mammals often focussing on intra-epithelial lymphocyte compartments. Using GF, conventional and monocolonised (gnotobiotic) chickens and chicken TCRβ-repertoire analysis techniques, we determined the influence of microbial status on global and regional enteric TCRβ repertoires. The gut of conventionally reared chickens exhibited non-Gaussian distributions of CDR3-lengths with some shared over-represented peaks in neighbouring gut segments. Sequence analysis revealed local clonal over-representation. Germ-free chickens exhibited a polyclonal, non-selected population of T cells in the spleen and in the gut. In contrast, gnotobiotic chickens exhibited a biased repertoire with shared clones evident throughout the gut. These data indicate the dramatic influence of enteric microflora complexity on the profile of TCRβ repertoire in the gut at local and global levels.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)406-417
Number of pages12
JournalDevelopmental and Comparative Immunology
Volume34
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 2010

Keywords

  • Clonality
  • Germ free
  • Microflora
  • Mucosal immunology
  • Spectratyping
  • T cell receptor

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