title: Predominant use of a T-cell receptor V beta gene family in simian immunodeficiency virus Gag-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes in a rhesus monkey.
abstract: To explore the structural basis for AIDS virus recognition by CD8+ lymphocytes, we sought to determine whether there is a diverse or restricted usage of T-cell receptors (TCR) by simian immunodeficiency virus of macaques (SIVmac) Gag-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) in the rhesus monkey. Six Gag-specific CTL clones were independently generated from an SIVmac-infected rhesus monkey. All six CTL clones recognized a single SIVmac Gag peptide in association with a single major histocompatibility complex class I gene product, Mamu-A*01. TCR alpha-chain sequences from these six CTL clones employed four different V alpha families and five different J alpha gene segments. In contrast, five of the six CTL clones expressed V beta genes that were members of the same family, a human V beta 23 homolog. Furthermore, only one J beta gene was expressed by four of the six CTL clones. These results indicate that TCR of SIVmac Gag-specific CTL from a rhesus monkey can exhibit a restricted usage of V beta gene families and J beta genes.
authors.affiliation: New England Regional Primate Research Center, Harvard Medical School, Southborough, Massachusetts 01772-9102.
authors.forename: Z W
authors.initials: ZW
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: D I
authors.initials: DI
authors.lastname: Watkins
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Levinson
authors.forename: N L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Letvin
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D016827:CD8 Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D002999:Clone Cells; D015683:Gene Products, gag / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D015333:Gene Rearrangement, beta-Chain T-Cell Antigen Receptor; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000276:immunology*; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D015302:Simian Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000276:immunology*; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D016827:CD8 Antigens; D015683:Gene Products, gag; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta