Preferential usage of the T-cell receptor by influenza virus hemagglutinin-specific human CD4+ T lymphocytes: in vitro life span of clonotypic T cells.

Human helper T-cell (Th) responses to influenza A virus were studied by analyzing T-cell receptor V beta gene diversity in hemagglutinin-specific Th lymphocytes. The T-lymphocyte population from peripheral blood became quickly oligoclonal when stimulated in vitro with the HA306-329 peptide, and T-cell receptor V beta 3 genes were mainly expanded. Moreover, specific junctional region oligonucleotide probes corresponding to hemagglutinin-specific clones were used to estimate temporal diversity during antigenic stimulations.