Genetic Vaccination Targeting T-Cell Receptors

T-cell antigen receptor (TCR) genes (which consist of variable (V), diversity (D), joining (J) and constant (C) segments) undergo rearrangement during T-cell development and result in the expression of a disulfide linked heterodimer (α and � chains) on the surface of mature T-cells (1 ,2 ). The TCR confers specificity to each T-cell for antigen recognition (in the context of major histocompatibility (MHC) molecules (1 ,3 ). Clonal TCR-� chain gene rearrangements have been demonstrated in DNA samples derived from cutaneous tumors, peripheral blood lymphocytes and lymph nodes of patients with cutaneous T cell lymphomas (CTCL) (4 –6 ). Together with immunohistologic data (7 ), these findings indicate that CTCL is a clonal disease of malignant T cells that express α/�-TCR.