Abstract: Objective To determine whether cytotoxic T cells could recognize the peptides encoded by specific gene of the third complementary determining regions(CDR3).Methods The cells separated from two patients with cutaneous T cell lymphoma(CTCL) (SS and AR) CD4⁺ Vβ 8⁺ malignant T cells(MTC) were used as peptide sequence determining cells,CD8⁺ non malignant T cells as killer cells or reactive cells,and transformed lymphoblastoid cells as major histocompatibility complex(MHC) antigen presenting cells.Results The idiotypic peptide from patient SS's TCRβ chain of MTC could stimulate tumor necrotizing factor (TNF)-α production by autologous CD8⁺ T cells.TNF-α production was not stimulated by a control peptide derived from the idiotypic region of patient AR's TCR protein of MTC.In contrast,the CD8⁺ T cells of patient AR responded to autologous peptide by secreting TNF-α,but did not respond to other peptides derived from the control patient SS and patients with HIV infection.Conclusion Cytotoxic T cells may recognize and respond to a specific MHC class I associated peptide unique to individual malignant clones of lymphocytes in CTCL.The identification of a tumor specific epitope in this disease may permit the development of vaccines that could boost or initiate the CD8⁺ T cells mediated immune response to the tumor cells.

Key words: Lymphoma,T-cell,cutaneous, Receptors,antigen