{"@type": "dcat:Dataset", "accessLevel": "public", "bureauCode": ["009:25"], "contactPoint": {"@type": "vcard:Contact", "fn": "NIH", "hasEmail": "mailto:info@nih.gov"}, "description": "The synovial membrane (SM) of affected joints in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) \nis infiltrated by germinal center-like aggregates (foci) of lymphocytes similar \nto rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We characterized the rearranged heavy chain \nvariable segment (VH) genes in the SM for gene usage and the mutational pattern \nto elucidate the B lymphocyte involvement in AS.\n        Cryosections from an AS-derived SM were stained for B and T lymphocytes. B \ncells were isolated from different areas of a focus. The rearranged VH genes \nwere amplified by semi-nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using \noligonucleotides specific for the six different VH families and heavy chain \njoining segments (JHs). PCR products were cloned and sequenced.\n        Fifty-nine of 70 different heavy chain gene rearrangements were potentially \nfunctional. Most of the rearranged genes were mutated (range, 1\u201315%). Thirty of \n70 products had a mutational pattern typical for antigen selection. Most of the \nrearranged VH genes belonged to the VH3 family (54%), consistent with data from \nhealthy donors and patients with RA, while VH4 genes, in contrast to RA, were \nidentified less frequently (10%) and VH5 genes were over-represented (11%). In \ncontrast to RA, neither VH6 genes nor the autoimmunity-prone VH4-34 were seen, \nwhereas another autoimmunity-prone gene, V3-23, was predominantly used (11%). \nOne VH1-derived and one VH3-derived B cell clone were expanded. CDR3 were \nshorter and more variable in length than in RA.\n        Comparable with RA and reactive arthritis, there is a biased repertoire of \nselected VH genes, whereas the panel of represented genes is different and less \nclonal expansion was observed.", "distribution": [{"@type": "dcat:Distribution", "description": "Visit the original government dataset for complete information, documentation, and data access.", "downloadURL": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC30712/", "mediaType": "text/html", "title": "Official Government Data Source"}], "identifier": "https://healthdata.gov/api/views/ae7q-ncmd", "issued": "2025-07-13", "keyword": ["nih", "ankylosing-spondylitis", "b-lymphocytes", "synovial-membrane", "vh-genes"], "landingPage": "https://healthdata.gov/d/ae7q-ncmd", "modified": "2025-09-06", "programCode": ["009:048"], "publisher": {"@type": "org:Organization", "name": "National Institutes of Health"}, "theme": ["NIH"], "title": "B lymphocyte involvement in ankylosing spondylitis: the heavy chain \nvariable segment gene repertoire of B lymphocytes from germinal center-like \nfoci in the synovial membrane indicates antigen selection"}