Single-Cell RNA Sequencing Reveals Expanded Clones of Islet Antigen-Reactive CD4⁺ T Cells in Peripheral Blood of Subjects with Type 1 Diabetes.

ABSTRACT: The significance of islet Ag-reactive T cells found in peripheral blood of type 1 diabetes (T1D) subjects is unclear, partly because similar cells are also found in healthy control (HC) subjects. We hypothesized that key disease-associated cells would show evidence of prior Ag exposure, inferred from expanded TCR clonotypes, and essential phenotypic properties in their transcriptomes. To test this, we developed single-cell RNA sequencing procedures for identifying TCR clonotypes and transcript phenotypes in individual T cells. We applied these procedures to analysis of islet Ag-reactive CD4⁺ memory T cells from the blood of T1D and HC individuals after activation with pooled immunodominant islet peptides. We found extensive TCR clonotype sharing in Ag-activated cells, especially

SUBMITTER: Cerosaletti K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5499675 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature