title: Characterization of immature thymocyte lines derived from T-cell receptor or recombination activating gene 1 and p53 double mutant mice.
abstract: The T-cell receptor (TCR) beta chain is instrumental in the progression of thymocyte differentiation from the CD4-CD8- to the CD4+CD8+ stage. This differentiation step may involve cell surface expression of novel CD3-TCR complexes. To facilitate biochemical characterization of these complexes, we established cell lines from thymic lymphomas originating from mice carrying a mutation in the p53 gene on the one hand and a mutation in TCR-alpha, TCR-beta, or the recombination activating gene 1 (RAG-1) on the other hand. The cell lines were CD4+CD8+ and appeared to be monoclonal. A cell line derived from a RAG-1 x p53 double mutant thymic lymphoma expressed low levels of CD3-epsilon, -gamma, and -delta on the surface. TCR-alpha x p53 double mutant cell lines were found to express complexes consisting of TCR-beta chains associated with CD3-epsilon, -gamma, and -delta chains and CD3-zeta zeta dimers. These lines will be useful tools to study the molecular structure and signal transducing properties of partial CD3-TCR complexes expressed on the surface of immature thymocytes.
authors.affiliation: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge 02139, USA.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mombaerts
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Terhorst
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jacks
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tonegawa
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sancho
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017252:CD3 Complex / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000378:metabolism; D016827:CD8 Antigens / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002460:Cell Line; D016158:Genes, p53; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008817:Mice, Mutant Strains; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology*; D013953:Thymus Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D017252:CD3 Complex; D015704:CD4 Antigens; D016827:CD8 Antigens; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D011506:Proteins; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta; C064658:RAG-1 protein