TCR gene segments from at least one third of V alpha subfamilies rearrange at the delta locus.
Using PCR and an experimentally validated V alpha subfamily-specific oligonucleotide panel (V alpha 1-w29), we have investigated whether the TCR delta chain may increase its combinatorial diversity by using V genes considered as alpha chain-specific. We show that at least 10 distinct human V alpha segments rearrange at the J delta locus, leading to scrambling of the two V gene repertoires. Fifty-five per cent of the V alpha/J delta transcripts characterized here were in frame. The 17 V alpha/C delta chains analysed included an extended CDR3 region with up to 18 aa encoded by the junctional region. In addition, a new J delta segment (J delta 4) has been characterized. Together, these findings demonstrate that combinatorial diversity in the human delta locus is larger than previously thought.
Genevée
C
C
Laboratoire d'Immunologie Cellulaire, INSERM U333, Institut Gustave-Roussy, Villejuif, France.
Chung
V
V
Diu
A
A
Hercend
T
T
Triebel
F
F
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D004247:DNA; D017931:DNA Primers; D015332:Gene Rearrangement, alpha-Chain T-Cell Antigen Receptor; D016694:Gene Rearrangement, delta-Chain T-Cell Antigen Receptor; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000235:genetics*; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*
D017931:DNA Primers; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell; D004247:DNA