Characterization of mutants of the vitamin-D-binding protein/group specific component: GC aborigine (1A1) from Australian aborigines and South African blacks, and 2A9 from south Germany.

The structure and organization of the human vitamin-D-binding protein gene (DBP, group-specific component, GC) have recently been determined. Each exon may now be amplified by the PCR method using oligonucleotide primers deduced from the intron sequences near their 5' ends and 3' ends. In this study we examined the anodal GC variants 1A1 and 2A9.

Characterization of the HLA-A polymorphism by locus-specific polymerase chain reaction amplification and oligonucleotide hybridization.

This report describes a PCR-based typing protocol for the HLA-A polymorphism. Locus-specific primers selectively amplified HLA-A sequences from exon 1 to exon 3 in a single PCR that avoided co-amplification of other classical and nonclassical class I genes. The allelic variation in exons 2 and 3 of the HLA-A gene was examined with a set of 44 oligonucleotide probes.

Restricted junctional diversity of T cell receptor delta gene rearrangements expressed in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients.

SLE is an autoimmune connective tissue disorder affecting multiple organs, in which T cells may play a central role. This study investigated T cell receptor (TCR) gamma/delta repertoire expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of SLE patients and healthy individuals using variable (V) gene family-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of TCR cDNA. The expressed V gamma repertoires were diverse in SLE and control PBMC, although V gamma IV gene rearrangements were barely detectable or not expressed in some patients.

Persistence of gamma/delta T cell oligoclonality in the peripheral blood of rheumatoid arthritis patients.

The peripheral blood of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) contains oligoclonal gamma/delta T cell populations which may contribute to the pathogenesis of the disease. To investigate whether there is persistent gamma/delta T cell oligoclonality in RA peripheral blood, we screened polymerase chain reaction-amplified T cell receptor (TCR) cDNA, derived from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of four RA patients, with sequence specific oligonucleotides (SSO). The SSO used were specific for TCR variable (V) delta 1, V delta 2 and V gamma 9 transcripts comprising V-joining (J) junctions found over-represented in PBMC of the same RA patients, when bled up to 3 years previously.