Lyme arthritis synovial gamma delta T cells respond to Borrelia burgdorferi lipoproteins and lipidated hexapeptides.

Lyme arthritis synovial fluid contains a large proportion of gamma delta T cells that proliferates upon stimulation with the causative spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi. A panel of Borrelia-reactive gamma delta T cell clones was derived from synovial fluid of two patients with Lyme arthritis. Each of six gamma delta clones from one patient used the V delta 1 TCR segment but had otherwise unique CDR3 sequences and diverse V gamma segment usage. Stimulation of the V delta 1 clones was optimal in the presence of Borrelia, dendritic cells, and exogenous IL-2, which was reflected by proliferation, TCR down-modulation, as well as induction of CD25 and Fas ligand expression. Stimulation by B. burgdorferi-pulsed dendritic cells withstood chemical fixation and was not restricted to class I or class II MHC, CD1a, CD1b, or CD1c. In contrast, anti-gamma delta antibody potently inhibited proliferation. Extraction of B. burgdorferi lipoproteins with Triton X-114 enriched for the stimulatory component. This was confirmed using lipidated vs nonlipidated hexapeptides of Borrelia outer surface proteins. These observations suggest that synovial V delta 1 T cells may mediate an innate immune response to common lipoprotein products of spirochetes.