Non-specific influx of T-cell receptor alpha/beta and gamma/delta lymphocytes in mucosal biopsies from a patient with orofacial granulomatosis.

Orofacial granulomatosis (OFG) represents an inflammatory disorder of the facial and oral mucosa, histologically characterized by non-caseating epithelioid cell granulomas. Since other granulomatous diseases have been shown to be characterized by a limited heterogeneity of alpha/beta and gamma/delta T cells, we investigated the T-cell diversity of both types of lymphocytes obtained from the same OFG patient. When we compared the T-cell receptor diversity of the lymphocytes accumulating at the site of the lesions with that of the peripheral blood counterpart, we did not find significant differences. Furthermore, no exclusive expansions of different T-cell clones were seen in the patient. From these data we conclude that, in this OFG patient, the majority of T cells have no specificity for a single or for a few antigens and that tissue accumulation of T lymphocytes is the result of a random influx of cells at the site of inflammation.