Example 2
Virtual TCR β chain spectratyping was performed as follows. Complementary DNA was synthesized from RNA extracted from sorted T cell populations and used as template for multiplex PCR amplification of the rearranged TCR β chain CDR3 region. Each multiplex reaction contained a 6-FAM-labeled antisense primer specific for the TCR β chain constant region, and two to five TCR β chain variable (TRBV) gene-specific sense primers. All 23 functional Vβ families were studied. PCR reactions were carried out on a Hybaid PCR Express thermal cycler (Hybaid, Ashford, UK) under the following cycling conditions: 1 cycle at 95° C. for 6 minutes, 40 cycles at 94° C. for 30 seconds, 58° C. for 30 seconds, and 72° C. for 40 seconds, followed by 1 cycle at 72° C. for 10 minutes. Each reaction contained cDNA template, 500 μM dNTPs, 2 mM MgCl2 and 1 unit of AmpliTaq Gold DNA polymerase (Perkin Elmer) in AmpliTaq Gold buffer, in a final volume of 20 μl. After completion, an aliquot of the PCR product was diluted 1:50 and analyzed using a DNA analyzer. The output of the DNA analyzer was converted to a distribution of fluorescence intensity vs. length by comparison with the fluorescence intensity trace of a reference sample containing known size standards.