Vβ5 and Vβ8 memory T cells in adults and infancy: co‐ordinated increase in response to early antigen stimulus
Blood mononuclear cells (MNC) expressing the T cell receptor Vβ gene families were identified with the monoclonal antibodies IC1 (Vβ5) or Mx6 (Vβ8). These cells were typed for expression of the T200 common leucocyte antigen with the CD4SRA antibody defining the 220‐kD variant (which characterizes naive cells) and theUCHL1 antibody which defines the 180‐kD variant (characterizing memory cells). Of adult MNC, 3±0.44% stained for Vβ5 and 4.12±0.26% stained for Vβ8; similar results were obtained in a group of infants aged less than 3 months, who were exposed to antigen stimulus in the form of infection and/or blood transfusion. While the total percentages of Vβ5 and Vβ8 cells in the blood of adults were not correlated, the proportions of these cells expressing CD4SRO was positively correlated. A similar trend which did not reach statistical significance was present in a group of infants. A minority of the infants studied showed transient deviations from the mean established for adults. The results suggest that naive and memory T cell populations have similar frequencies of Vβ5 and Vβ8 expressing cells, and that age does not affect the frequency of usage of either of these Vβ families.