Quantification of T-Cell Receptor Excision Circles (TRECs)

Methods Mol Biol. 2025:2857:1-8. doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-4128-6_1.

Abstract

Aging is a natural process that compromises the immune system's functionality increasing the risk of infectious, tumors, and autoimmune diseases. The thymus involution is an age-dependent process characterized by decreased cellularity, peripheral lymphocyte infiltration into the perivascular space, and expansion of adipose tissue. All those modifications hamper the functionality of the organ and lead to a decline of naïve T-cell production with a shrinking of the T-cell repertoire. Thymus atrophy is described in several disorders including autoimmune diseases. The quantification of T-cell receptor excision circles (TRECs) in recent thymus emigrants is a standard procedure to investigate the thymic function. In this chapter, we discuss the methodology used to quantify this molecule in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and isolated CD4+ and CD8+ T cells.

Keywords: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells; T-cell receptor excision circles; T-cell repertoire; Thymus functionality.

MeSH terms

  • CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / immunology
  • CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / metabolism
  • CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes* / immunology
  • CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes* / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Leukocytes, Mononuclear / immunology
  • Leukocytes, Mononuclear / metabolism
  • Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell* / genetics
  • Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell* / immunology
  • Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell* / metabolism
  • Thymus Gland* / cytology
  • Thymus Gland* / immunology

Substances

  • Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell