Analysis of T cell receptor repertoire in monozygotic twins concordant and discordant for chronic hepatitis B infection

Due to their identical inheritance and shared surroundings, identical twins have been the recommended group for studying the susceptibility and prognosis of diseases. Here, CD8+ T cell receptor beta (TCRβ) chains were analyzed by high-throughput sequencing in three pairs of healthy identical twins and chronic hepatitis B patients. The data showed a high level of similarity in the TCR repertoire of each pair in terms of average TCR Vβ segment expression and frequency of the complementary determining region 3 (CDR3) pattern and skewed or oligoclonal clonotypes. Notably, the level of similarity in TCR Vβ expression between the twins appeared to be independent of the consistency or inconsistency of chronic HBV infection, although the detailed CDR3 pattern and frequency were related to disease prognosis. There were more immunodominant clonotypes in patients with HBV antigen seroconversion, which showed an increased abundance. These immunodominant clonotypes may be used as favorable prognostic biomarkers and potential targets for immunotherapy. Thus, delineating the CD8+ T cell repertoire of identical twins with concordant chronic viral infections provides a promising means to screen protective TCR genes for immunotherapy.