美国加州大学伯克利分校Michel DuPage等研究人员合作，开发出一种将T细胞受体与分化状态分析相结合的质谱流式细胞术方法。2024年8月27日，《自然—免疫学》杂志在线发表了这项成果。

研究人员提出了一种质谱流式细胞术（CyTOF）方法，通过将针对特定T细胞抗原受体（TCR）Vα和Vβ链的抗体与针对小鼠T细胞活化和分化蛋白的抗体结合起来，以追踪T细胞反应。

这种策略能够识别在单核细胞增生李斯特菌、肿瘤和呼吸道流感感染中表达特定Vβ和Vα链且具有不同分化状态的CD8⁺和CD4⁺ T细胞扩增。表达Vβ链的扩增T细胞群体可以直接与识别来自李斯特菌、肿瘤细胞或流感病毒的特定抗原联系起来。

在流感感染的情况下，研究人员发现常见的治疗方法如肌肉内疫苗接种或恢复期血清转移会改变反应性T细胞的TCR多样性和分化状态。因此，研究人员提供了一种在适应性免疫反应过程中，监测TCR使用的广泛变化与T细胞表型分析相结合的方法。

据悉，TCR的识别以及随后的克隆扩增是适应性免疫反应的基本特征。

附：英文原文

Title: A mass cytometry method pairing T cell receptor and differentiation state analysis

Author: Garcia Castillo, Jesse, DeBarge, Rachel, Mende, Abigail, Tenvooren, Iliana, Marquez, Diana M., Straub, Adrian, Busch, Dirk H., Spitzer, Matthew H., DuPage, Michel

Issue&Volume: 2024-08-27

Abstract: T cell antigen receptor (TCR) recognition followed by clonal expansion is a fundamental feature of adaptive immune responses. Here, we present a mass cytometric (CyTOF) approach to track T cell responses by combining antibodies for specific TCR Vα and Vβ chains with antibodies against T cell activation and differentiation proteins in mice. This strategy identifies expansions of CD8+ and CD4+ T cells expressing specific Vβ and Vα chains with varying differentiation states in response to Listeria monocytogenes, tumors and respiratory influenza infection. Expanded T cell populations expressing Vβ chains could be directly linked to the recognition of specific antigens from Listeria, tumor cells or influenza. In the setting of influenza infection, we found that common therapeutic approaches of intramuscular vaccination or convalescent serum transfer altered the TCR diversity and differentiation state of responding T cells. Thus, we present a method to monitor broad changes in TCR use paired with T cell phenotyping during adaptive immune responses.

DOI: 10.1038/s41590-024-01937-3

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41590-024-01937-3