TCR expression in human fetal intestine and identification of an early T cell receptor beta-chain transcript

TCR expression by human fetal intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes (ilELs) and intestinal lamina propria lymphocytes was analyzed to address whether T cell development occurs in human fetal intestine, the diversity of human fetal iIELs, and whether human fetal iIELs may contribute to the adult iIEL repertoire. ilELs and intestinal lamina propria lymphocytes from second trimester human fetal intestine were analyzed for TCR-alphabeta transcripts. Rearranged TCR-alpha transcripts were undetectable at 14 wk in the intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs), whereas multiple TCR-beta transcripts were found at this stage. The TCR-alpha repertoire remained restricted relative to TCR-beta at later stages, and the IEL repertoire was restricted relative to the lamina propria lymphocytes at all stages. A previously reported T early alpha message was the major transcript from the TCR-alpha locus early in gestation. A previously undescribed TCR-beta transcript initiating upstream of the Dbeta1 locus and spliced to Cbeta1 or Cbeta2 was also identified and may represent a T early beta message. These results provide evidence for ongoing TCR gene rearrangement in human fetal intestine and suggest that transcription from the TCR-beta locus initiates with a T early beta transcript. The TCR-alpha repertoire (and hence the repertoire of potentially functional IELs) was limited through the second trimester.