High frequencies of T-cell receptor (TCR) V beta 7+ T cells were detected among the lymphocytes isolated from pancreatic islets of children at the onset of Type I (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus. We assessed whether a preferential expression of certain TCR V beta gene families could also be detected among the peripheral blood mononuclear cells from diabetic patients.
Division of Immunogenetics, Department of Pediatrics, Rangos Research Center, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.