Comprehensive transcriptional profiling of gamma delta T cells
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Date
2005
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Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture
Abstract
gamma delta T cells have been conserved since the adaptive immune system arose, yet their importance is still unclear. In an attempt to compensate for the lack of a broad knowledge-base of gamma delta T cells across species, global analyses of gamma delta T cell transcriptomes have been performed using serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE). Twelve new SAGE libraries were generated from the following bovine lymphocyte populations: magnetic bead-sorted blood gamma delta T cells, spleen gamma delta T cells and enriched alpha beta T cells from a single calf, both rested and ConA/IL-2 stimulated, and flow cytometry-sorted blood gamma delta and alpha beta T cells each either rested, ConA/IL-2, or PMA/ionomycin stimulated. These databases were analyzed using new web-based bioinformatic tools, which allow the user to rapidly compare gene expression patterns within these and other SAGE and standard EST libraries generated from different cell types and different species. These analyses revealed striking differences between blood and spleen gamma delta T cells and how these cells respond to various mitogenic stimulation. These analyses also confirm previous studies that suggest that global gene expression in gamma delta and alpha beta T cells is quite similar; however, a five-fold increase in gamma delta T cell-specific transcripts could be induced by ConA/IL-2 stimulation of spleen cells. Even greater differences were seen between the two lymphocyte populations isolated from blood, regardless of activation state. These new public databases provide additional resources for the annotation/analysis of global gene expression in gamma delta T cells, which will facilitate studies of the biology of this enigmatic lymphoid cell.