Reconstitution of paired T cell receptor α- and β-chains from microdissected single cells of human inflammatory tissues

We describe a strategy to revive putatively pathogenic T cells from frozen specimens of human inflammatory target organs. To distinguish pathogenic from irrelevant bystander T cells, we focused on cells that were (i) clonally expanded and (ii) in direct morphological contact with a target cell. Using CDR3 spectratyping, we identified clonally expanded T cell receptor (TCR) beta-chains in muscle sections of patients with inflammatory muscle diseases. By immunohistochemistry, we identified those V beta-positive T cells that fulfilled the morphological criteria of myocytotoxicity and isolated them by laser microdissection. Next, we identified coexpressed pairs of TCR alpha- and beta-chains by a multiplex PCR protocol, which allows the concomitant amplification of both chains from single cells. This concomitant amplification had not been achieved previously in histological sections, mainly because of the paucity of available anti-alpha-chain antibodies and the great heterogeneity of the alpha-chain genes. From muscle tissue of a patient with polymyositis, we isolated 64 T cells that expressed an expanded V beta 1 chain. In 23 of these cells, we identified the corresponding alpha-chain. Twenty of these 23 alpha-chains were identical, suggesting antigen-driven selection. After functional reconstitution of the alpha beta-pairs, their antigen-recognition properties could be studied. Our results open avenues for combined analysis of the full TCR alpha- and beta-chain repertoire in human inflammatory tissues.