EXPRESSION OF GAMMA-DELTA LYMPHOCYTES-T DERIVED FROM HUMAN INTESTINAL BIOPSIES

Although most T cells express the alpha/beta-TCR, the gamma/delta-TCR is expressed only on a small percentage of peripheral lymphocytes and CD3+ intestinal T cells. The most striking feature is a wide variation in the proportion of gamma/delta+ T cells in freshly isolated peripheral blood cells from normal individuals and patients with IBD. The augmentation of the gamma/delta+ T cell subpopulation derived from human intestinal biopsies after repeated stimulation with MT, even in the absence of filler cells, suggests that gamma/delta+ cells from human gut mucosa may play a role in generating a primary immune response to MT.