title: Preferential association of alpha and beta chains of the T cell antigen receptor.
abstract: The cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) clone B6.2.16 expresses a V beta 8.2/J beta 2.3/C beta 2-encoded T cell receptor (TcR) beta chain and an alpha chain that is encoded by a novel V alpha gene segment, J alpha 27 and C alpha. While expression of V alpha B6.2.16 and J alpha 27 is not detectable in lymph node cells of normal C57BL/6 mice, expression of these gene segments was readily seen in transgenic mice expressing the rearranged beta chain gene of the B6.2.16 T cell clone. This finding indicates that only a limited number of alpha chains can associate with the B6.2.16 beta chain and strongly suggests that the size of the TcR repertoire of mature T cells is not only limited by TcR ligand-mediated thymic selection but also by restrictions in alpha-beta combinatorial chain association.
authors.affiliation: Basel Institute for Immunology, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Uematsu
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002999:Clone Cells; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D015332:Gene Rearrangement, alpha-Chain T-Cell Antigen Receptor; D005796:Genes; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides / Q000737:chemistry; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta