Patent ID: 8642750

Claim:
A composition, comprising: (a) a plurality of V-segment primers, and (b) a plurality of J-segment primers, each of said plurality of V-segment primers and said plurality of J-segment primers consisting of 15 to 50 nucleotides, wherein each of said V-segment primers comprises a first sequence and a second sequence, wherein said first sequence is complementary to a portion of a first region of at least one V-segment, said first region located immediately 5′ to a second region of said V-segment where untemplated deletions occur during TCR or IG gene rearrangement, wherein said second region of said V-segment is adjacent to and 5′ to a V-recombination signal sequence (V-RSS) of said V-segment, wherein said first sequence is located 3′ to said second sequence on said V-segment primer, wherein each of said J-segment primers has a first sequence and a second sequence, wherein said first sequence is complementary to a portion of a first region of a J-segment, said first region located immediately 3′ to a second region of said J-segment where untemplated deletions occur during TCR or IG gene rearrangement, wherein said second region of said J-segment is adjacent to and 3′ to a J-recombination signal sequence (J-RSS) of said J-segment, wherein said first sequence is located 3′ to said second sequence on said J-segment primer, and wherein a single multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of rearranged nucleic acid molecules from a sample comprising lymphocytes obtained from a mammalian subject, using said V-segment and J-segment primers produces at least 10 4 distinct amplicons representing a diversity of rearranged TCR or IG CDR3 sequences present in said sample.