title: Engineered secreted T-cell receptor alpha beta heterodimers.
abstract: We have produced a soluble form of a mouse alpha beta T-cell antigen receptor (TCR) by shuffling its variable (V) and constant (C) domains to the C region of an immunoglobulin kappa light chain. These chimeric molecules composed of V alpha C alpha C kappa and V beta C beta C kappa chains were efficiently secreted (up to 1 micrograms/ml) by transfected myeloma cells as noncovalent heterodimers of about 95-kDa molecular mass. In the absence of direct binding measurement, we have refined the epitopic analysis of the soluble V alpha C alpha C kappa-V beta C beta C kappa dimers and shown that they react with an anti-clonotypic antibody and two antibodies directed to the C domain of the TCR alpha and beta chains. Conversely, we have raised three distinct monoclonal antibodies against the soluble TCR heterodimers and shown that they recognize surface-expressed TCRs. Two of these antibodies were found to react specifically with the products of the V alpha 2 (V delta 8) and V beta 2 gene segments, respectively. When considered together, these data suggest that these soluble TCR molecules are folded in a conformation indistinguishable from that which they assume at the cell surface.
authors.affiliation: Centre d'Immunologie, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Grégoire
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rebaï
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Schweisguth
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Necker
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mazza
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Auphan
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Millward
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Schmitt-Verhulst
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Malissen
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D001483:Base Sequence; D000939:Epitopes; D005803:Genes, Immunoglobulin; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D015183:Restriction Mapping
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000939:Epitopes; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins