Quantification of T cell receptor excision circles in peripheral blood of rheumatic fever patients

• Grant number: 10/13097-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: March 01, 2011
• End date: August 31, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Immunology - Cellular Immunology
• Principal Investigator: Luiza Guglielmi
• Grantee: Nathália Moreira Santos
• Host Institution: Instituto do Coração Professor Euryclides de Jesus Zerbini (INCOR). Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da USP (HCFMUSP). Secretaria da Saúde (São Paulo - Estado). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

There is a wide spectrum of diseases caused by group A streptococci (GAS), and its considered a public health problem in developing countries, with about 600 million cases per year. Infections by GAS can cause invasive diseases such as pharyngitis and pyoderma with serious autoimmune complications such as rheumatic fever (RF) and glomerulonephritis. RF mainly affects children and young adults, and presents different manifestations, like rheumatic heart disease (RHD) until to more serious complications, cardiac valvular lesions characterized by progressive and permanent heart damage, which entails high cost to the SUS. Our previous work on the mechanisms that lead to rheumatic heart lesions, we identified the role of T lymphocytes as principal mediator of autoimmunity and verified through analysis of infiltrating T-cell receptor of cardiac injury in patients with RHD and observe oligoclonal expansions with different sizes of CDR3. Based on previous results, we propose to quantify circular and excised fragments of the receptor gene rearrangement of the T lymphocyte (TREC - T cell receptor excision circles) in T lymphocytes from peripheral blood of patients with RF and RHD and compare them to healthy donors. This quantification of TRECs can provide information on thymic activity of individuals with RF and RHD and elucidate events involved in disease pathogenesis. (AU)

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

SANTOS, Nathália Moreira. Quantification of T cell receptor excision circles in peripheral blood of rheumatic fever patients. 2013. Master's Dissertation - Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Medicina (FM/SBD) São Paulo.