title: Cloning and comparative analysis of the human pre-T-cell receptor alpha-chain gene.
abstract: In immature T cells the T-cell receptor (TCR) beta-chain gene is rearranged and expressed before the TCR alpha-chain gene. At this stage TCR beta chain can form disulfide-linked heterodimers with the pre-T-cell receptor alpha chain (pTalpha). Using the recently isolated murine pTalpha cDNA as a probe, we have isolated the human pTalpha cDNA. The complete nucleotide sequence predicts a mature protein of 282 aa consisting of an extracellular immunoglobulin-like domain, a connecting peptide, a transmembrane region, and a long cytoplasmic tail. Amino acid sequence comparison of human pTalpha with the mouse pTalpha molecule reveals high sequence homology in the extracellular as well as the transmembrane region. In contrast, the cytoplasmic region differs in amino acid composition and in length from the murine homologue. The human pTalpha gene is expressed in immature but not mature T cells and is located at the p21.2-p12 region of the short arm of chromosome 6.
authors.affiliation: Unité Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale 373, Institut Necker, Paris, France.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Del Porto
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bruno
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Mattei
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: von Boehmer
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Saint-Ruf
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D002417:Cattle; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002871:Chromosome Banding; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D002896:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 6; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis; D017931:DNA Primers; D015870:Gene Expression; D000882:Haplorhini; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D051381:Rats; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta; D004247:DNA