Analysis of T cell receptor Vbeta repertoires of annular erythema associated with Sjögren's syndrome.

Sjögren's syndrome (SjS) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by lymphocytic infiltration into the lacrimal and salivary glands. Annular erythema has recently been reported to be a specific, cutaneous manifestation associated with SjS. In this study, the T cell receptor (TCR) Vbeta gene usage and expansion was examined in annular erythema associated with SjS (AESjS) in 7 patients with primary SjS (5 definite and 2 probable), using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) amplification of 22 Vbeta gene families. For 4 out of the 7 patients, the TCR V repertoire in lesional skin of AESjS was compared with paired peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBL). In one case, two lesional tissue specimens biopsied from different sites of AESjS (face and trunk) were examined. As a control, the TCR Vbeta repertoire was examined from the lesional skin of butterfly rash biopsied from 3 cases of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Results showed that TCR Vbeta 2 was detected in 6 out of the 7 cases of AESjS, although diverse usage was observed. TCR Vbeta 2 and 17 (but particularly Vbeta 2) were predominantly expressed in AESjS in comparison with paired PBL. In the case which presented AESjS at two separate sites, Vbeta 2, 6, 18 and 19 were preferentially expressed in both skin sites as compared with PBL. On the other hand, TCR Vbeta 6, 13-2 and 14 were commonly demonstrated in the cutaneous lesions of SLE. These results suggest that (1) the TCR Vbeta usage by infiltrating T cells in AESjS is not strictly limited, however, Vbeta 2 may play an important role in the induction of AESjS, and that (2) different subsets of TCR Vbeta genes are used in the lesional skin of SjS and SLE, which might account for the clinical and histological differences seen in the erythema found in these two autoimmune disorders.