Distinct and non-overlapping T cell receptor repertoires expanded by DNA vaccination in wild-type and HER-2 transgenic BALB/c mice

Central tolerance to tumor-associated Ags is an immune-escape mechanism that significantly limits the TCR repertoires available for tumor eradication. The repertoires expanded in wild-type BALB/c and rat-HER-2/neu (rHER-2) transgenic BALB-neuT mice following DNA immunization against rHER-2 were compared by spectratyping the variable (V)beta and the joining (J)beta CDR 3. Following immunization, BALB/c mice raised a strong response. Every mouse used one or more CD8+ T cell rearrangements of the Vbeta9-Jbeta1.2 segments characterized by distinct length of the CDR3 and specific for 63-71 or 1206-1214 rHER-2 peptides. In addition, two CD4+ T cell rearrangements recurred in >50% of mice. Instead, BALB-neuT mice displayed a limited response to rHER-2. Their repertoire is smaller and uses different rearrangements confined to CD4+ T cells. Thus, central tolerance in BALB-neuT mice acts by silencing the BALB/c mice self-reactive repertoire and reducing the size of the CD8+ T cell component. CD8+ and CD4+ T cells from both wild-type and transgenic mice home to tumors. This definition of the T cell repertoires available is critical to the designing of immunological maneuvers able to elicit an effective immune reaction against HER-2-driven carcinogenesis.