Exclusion of influences of ARMS2 polymorphisms on the central visual field in retinitis pigmentosa.

Purpose: To investigate the effects of polymorphisms of the age-related maculopathy susceptibility 2 (ARMS2) gene on the central visual field defects in retinitis pigmentosa (RP).

Subjects And Methods: The visual field was evaluated using the 10-2 Swedish Interactive Threshold Algorithm Fast Program and mean deviation (MD) slope, and regression coefficients of average sensitivity of the central 4 points (Cent4) were compared between each genetic subgroup.

Results: The MD slope (right/left) was as follows: GG, -1.

T-cell receptor Vbeta gene usage by T cells reactive with the tumor-rejection antigen SART-1 in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

We recently described that the SART-1(690-698) peptide could induce HLA-A24-restricted cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs), which recognize the SART-1(259) (+) tumor cells from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of HLA-A24(+) cancer patients. In our study, in 5 of 14 HLA-A24(+) patients with oral squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs), CTLs could be induced with the SART-1(690-698) peptide from the PBMCs. In 2 of the patients from whom the highest CTL activities were induced, the T-cell receptor (TCR) Vbeta repertoire expressed by the SART-1(690-698)-specific CTLs was found to be restricted and multiple Vbeta families were predominantly expressed in each patient.