LONG-TERM CULTURE AND T-CELL RECEPTOR ANALYSIS OF T-CELL CLONES ISOLATED FROM A PATIENT WITH ADENOSINE-DEAMINASE DEFICIENCY AND TYPE-I DIABETES

We performed limiting dilution culture of T cells from a patient affected by primary immunodeficiency as a result of complete lack of adenosine deaminase (ADA) activity and also affected by insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (type I diabetes). Despite the occurrence of immunodeficiency, we were able to raise and grow T cell clones derived from this patient in long-term culture. These T cells displayed ADA enzymatic activity and produced interleukin-2 after engagement of their T cell receptor (TCR)/CD3 complex. We analyzed the TCR repertoire of such clones by nucleotide sequencing of TCR beta chains. The results show that the T cell clones express different V beta but similar J regions. However, the CDR3 regions which are implicated in antigen recognition were found to be heterogeneous. (C) 1994 Academic Press, Inc.