Key result
Higher TCR Vbeta7 is linked to arrhythmia in patients with Chagas disease.
Why the study?
Infection with Trypanosoma cruzi is associated with genetic components including HLA and TCR genes, but the variability of the TCR Vbeta repertoire in different clinical forms of chronic Chagas' disease is not well characterized.
Observational (n=23)
The TCR Vbeta7 family is significantly increased in Chagas disease patients with arrhythmia, suggesting it may serve as a marker for disease progression and susceptibility to cardiac damage.
Should not yet change Chagas arrhythmia monitoring; hypothesis-generating for TCR Vbeta7 as progression marker.
Previous studies have shown that infection with the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi (Chagas' disease) is associated with genetic components [human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes and T-cell receptor (TCR) genes]. We studied the TCR Vbeta repertoire of peripheral blood lymphocytes of 23 unrelated serologically positive subjects using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The patients, previously tested for HLA genotypes, were clinically classified as asymptomatic, arrhythmic and cardiopathic patients. Statistical analysis showed the significant increment of the Vbeta7 family in chagasics with arrhythmia compared with asymptomatic and cardiopathic patients, indicating that the frequency of this family is variable in different clinical forms of the disease and possibly that these T cells might be a marker of the progression of Chagas' disease. Based on the calculation of a Delta score the order of variability in the TCR repertoire was: patients with heart failure > asymptomatic > arrhythmic patients. The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) of the individual may influence the use of particular V genes in T-cell response to foreign antigens. We found a significant increase of the Vbeta7 family in arrhythmic patients who were DRB1*01 DQB1*0501 DPB1*0401, a marker associated with susceptibility to cardiac damage in Chagas' disease. If confirmed by further studies in a larger cohort, a possible association between the TCR Vbeta repertoire and the MHC haplotype of chagasic patients could be postulated.
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Fernández‐Mestre et al. (2002) conducted an observational in Chronic human Chagas' disease (n=23). Arrhythmic clinical form of Chagas' disease vs. Asymptomatic and cardiopathic clinical forms was evaluated on Frequency of the TCR Vbeta7 family. The Vbeta7 family of the T-cell receptor repertoire was significantly increased in Chagas' disease patients with arrhythmia compared to asymptomatic and cardiopathic patients.
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