Genomic profiling of intestinal T-cell receptor repertoires in inflammatory bowel disease

Growing evidence shows that inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) results from dysregulation of immune responses to gut microbes. T-cell receptors (TCRs) expressed on the T-cell surface play critical roles in discriminating pathogens from commensal intestinal microorganisms at the front line of the adaptive immune system. The breakdown of this interaction may trigger persistent inflammatory responses to gut bacteria, resulting in IBD. Taking advantage of high-throughput sequencing, we developed an integrated approach to dissect the intestinal TCR repertoires underlying IBD by collecting peripheral blood and inflamed intestine from the same set of 11 IBD cases. The intestinal TCR repertoires show lower clonotype diversity ( p