title: Dominant expression of a distinctive V14+ T-cell antigen receptor alpha chain in mice.
abstract: A distinctive variable region 14-positive (V14+) alpha chain (V alpha 14+) of the T-cell antigen receptor is predominantly expressed in multiple mouse subspecies. The V alpha 14 family has two members, V alpha 14.1 and V alpha 14.2, which differ by only three amino acids at positions 50-52. Based on the EcoRI restriction fragment length polymorphism of the gene encoding V alpha 14, mice can be divided into three groups: type I with an 11.2-kilobase (kb) fragment, type II with a 2.0-kb fragment, and type III with the 2.0-kb and 11.2-kb fragments. Usage of V alpha 14-J alpha 281, where J alpha 281 is an alpha-chain joining segment, with a one-base N region dominates at the level of 0.02-1.5% of alpha chains in all laboratory strains, Mus musculus castaneus, and Mus musculus domesticus but not in Mus musculus molossinus, Mus musculus musculus, and Mus spicilegus samples. The preferential V alpha 14-J alpha 281 expression seems to be due to positive selection because the V-J junctional region is always glycine, despite the ability of the V alpha 14 gene to associate with J alpha other than J alpha 281. As V alpha 14-J alpha 281 expression is independent of known major histocompatibility complex antigens, including H-2, TLA, Qa, and HMT, the selecting ligand must be a monomorphic molecule of the mouse, expressed in a subspecies-specific manner. Additional observations, such as the expression of homogeneous V alpha 14-J alpha 281 in athymic mice, suggest that the positive selection of V alpha 14+ T cells occurs extrathymically.
authors.affiliation: Division of Molecular Immunology, School of Medicine, Chiba University, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Koseki
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Asano
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Inaba
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Miyashita
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Moriwaki
authors.forename: K F
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Lindahl
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mizutani
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Imai
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Taniguchi
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D015870:Gene Expression; D005787:Gene Frequency; D005799:Genes, Dominant; D014644:Genetic Variation; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains / Q000276:immunology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D005810:Multigene Family; D009115:Muridae / Q000276:immunology*; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000235:genetics*; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D013045:Species Specificity; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell; D004247:DNA