title: Expression of the human T cell receptor V beta repertoire.
abstract: We have used a sensitive assay, based on amplification of cDNA by the polymerase chain reaction, to determine in a variety of human tissues the relative levels of expression of the genes coding for each of the twenty families of human TcR V beta. We have determined the diversity of the expressed TcR V beta repertoire early in the development of the immune system. We have shown that the full TcR V beta repertoire is expressed early into the second trimester; the expressed repertoire is as diverse at this point, in both fetal thymus and spleen, as it is in mature thymus and peripheral blood lymphocytes. In addition the relative expression in the fetal thymus of each V beta gene is conserved to a large extent in the fetal spleen.
authors.affiliation: Division of Immunology/Rheumatology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Doherty
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Roifman
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Cymerman
authors.forename: S W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kamel-Reid
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cohen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001483:Base Sequence; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D005333:Fetus / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009841:Oligonucleotides / Q000235:genetics; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta; D013154:Spleen / Q000378:metabolism; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000378:metabolism; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D009841:Oligonucleotides; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta