TCRVβ CLONOTYPIC ANALYSIS OF VAGINAL T LYMPHOCYTES DURING EXPERIMENTAL VAGINAL CANDIDIASIS IN THE MURINE SYSTEM

To further understand the role of localized T cells in protection against vaginal candidiasis (VC), vaginal T lymphocyte TCRV beta repertoir was evaluated during experimental VC. RNA was extracted from lymphocytes of naive and estrogen-treated Candida albicans-infected mice and RT-PCRed using TCRV beta primers corresponding to 24 common TCRV beta genes. All TCRV beta rearrangements were detected in vaginal T cells and thymocytes of naive mice. Although, the full complement of TCRV beta repertoire was detectable in vaginal T cells at days 14 and 21 post-infection, there was overrepresentation of TCRV beta s 1, 6, 10 and 15 at day 14 and TCRV beta s 1, 4, 6, 8.3, 10, 13, 14 and 18 at day 21. Expression of all TCRV beta rearrangements in vaginal T cells raises the possibility of an extrathymic developmental origin. Time-dependent overrepresentation of specific TCRV beta s during VC may indicate infection-related specific T cell clonal expansion.