Analysis and expression of a cloned pre-T cell receptor gene.
The T cell antigen receptor (TCR) beta chain regulates early T cell development in the absence of the TCR alpha chain. The developmentally controlled gene described here encodes the pre-TCR alpha (pT alpha) chain, which covalently associates with TCR beta and with the CD3 proteins forms a pre-TCR complex that transduces signals in immature thymocytes. Unlike the lambda 5 pre-B cell receptor protein, the pT alpha chain is a type I transmembrane protein whose cytoplasmic tail contains two potential phosphorylation sites and a Src homology 3 (SH3)-domain binding sequence. Pre-TCR alpha transfection experiments indicated that surface expression of the pre-TCR is controlled by additional developmentally regulated proteins. Identification of the pT alpha gene represents an essential step in the structure-function analysis of the pre-TCR complex.
Unité INSERM 373, Institut Necker, Paris, France.
C
C
Saint-Ruf
K
K
Ungewiss
M
M
Groettrup
L
L
Bruno
H J
HJ
Fehling
H
H
von Boehmer
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D017252:CD3 Complex / Q000378:metabolism; D002460:Cell Line; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D015321:Gene Rearrangement; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D010766:Phosphorylation; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011817:Rabbits; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D014162:Transfection
D017252:CD3 Complex; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta; C090377:pre-T cell receptor alpha