Skip to main content
PMC home page
The Journal of Experimental Medicine logoLink to The Journal of Experimental Medicine
. 1986 Jul 1;164(1):90–103. doi: 10.1084/jem.164.1.90

Sequences and repertoire of human T cell receptor alpha chain variable region genes in mature T lymphocytes

PMCID: PMC2188198  PMID: 3088203

Abstract

24 human T cell receptor alpha chain messages have been examined by cDNA sequence analysis and Southern blot. The data indicate that there are approximately 40 alpha chain T cell receptor variable gene segments, which can be divided into 12 families. Comparison of the J gene segments from the cDNAs to previously determined germline J alpha sequences places the number of J alpha gene segments over 21, and indicates their number to be approximately 55. Identical nucleotide sequences in independent isolates of V alpha and J alpha gene segments indicate that hypermutation may not be a common mechanism for the expansion of diversity in these genes, and suggest that the major source of diversity within the alpha chain repertoire is a result of recombinational joinings between germline V alpha and J alpha sequences, combined with imprecise junctional joining. Analysis of the V regions of these alpha chain messages reveals the presence of three domains of hypervariability roughly analogous to the CDR1, CDR2, and CDR3 regions of immunoglobulin.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (1.2 MB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Arden B., Klotz J. L., Siu G., Hood L. E. Diversity and structure of genes of the alpha family of mouse T-cell antigen receptor. 1985 Aug 29-Sep 4Nature. 316(6031):783–787. doi: 10.1038/316783a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Becker D. M., Pattern P., Chien Y., Yokota T., Eshhar Z., Giedlin M., Gascoigne N. R., Goodnow C., Wolf R., Arai K. Variability and repertoire size of T-cell receptor V alpha gene segments. Nature. 1985 Oct 3;317(6036):430–434. doi: 10.1038/317430a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Behlke M. A., Spinella D. G., Chou H. S., Sha W., Hartl D. L., Loh D. Y. T-cell receptor beta-chain expression: dependence on relatively few variable region genes. Science. 1985 Aug 9;229(4713):566–570. doi: 10.1126/science.3875151. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Brodeur P. H., Riblet R. The immunoglobulin heavy chain variable region (Igh-V) locus in the mouse. I. One hundred Igh-V genes comprise seven families of homologous genes. Eur J Immunol. 1984 Oct;14(10):922–930. doi: 10.1002/eji.1830141012. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Caccia N., Bruns G. A., Kirsch I. R., Hollis G. F., Bertness V., Mak T. W. T cell receptor alpha chain genes are located on chromosome 14 at 14q11-14q12 in humans. J Exp Med. 1985 May 1;161(5):1255–1260. doi: 10.1084/jem.161.5.1255. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Caccia N., Kronenberg M., Saxe D., Haars R., Bruns G. A., Goverman J., Malissen M., Willard H., Yoshikai Y., Simon M. The T cell receptor beta chain genes are located on chromosome 6 in mice and chromosome 7 in humans. Cell. 1984 Jul;37(3):1091–1099. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(84)90443-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Cory S., Tyler B. M., Adams J. M. Sets of immunoglobulin V kappa genes homologous to ten cloned V kappa sequences: implications for the number of germline V kappa genes. J Mol Appl Genet. 1981;1(2):103–116. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Gascoigne N. R., Chien Y., Becker D. M., Kavaler J., Davis M. M. Genomic organization and sequence of T-cell receptor beta-chain constant- and joining-region genes. Nature. 1984 Aug 2;310(5976):387–391. doi: 10.1038/310387a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Haskins K., Kubo R., White J., Pigeon M., Kappler J., Marrack P. The major histocompatibility complex-restricted antigen receptor on T cells. I. Isolation with a monoclonal antibody. J Exp Med. 1983 Apr 1;157(4):1149–1169. doi: 10.1084/jem.157.4.1149. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Hayday A. C., Diamond D. J., Tanigawa G., Heilig J. S., Folsom V., Saito H., Tonegawa S. Unusual organization and diversity of T-cell receptor alpha-chain genes. 1985 Aug 29-Sep 4Nature. 316(6031):828–832. doi: 10.1038/316828a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Hedrick S. M., Cohen D. I., Nielsen E. A., Davis M. M. Isolation of cDNA clones encoding T cell-specific membrane-associated proteins. Nature. 1984 Mar 8;308(5955):149–153. doi: 10.1038/308149a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Kranz D. M., Saito H., Disteche C. M., Swisshelm K., Pravtcheva D., Ruddle F. H., Eisen H. N., Tonegawa S. Chromosomal locations of the murine T-cell receptor alpha-chain gene and the T-cell gamma gene. Science. 1985 Feb 22;227(4689):941–945. doi: 10.1126/science.3918347. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Le Beau M. M., Diaz M. O., Rowley J. D., Mak T. W. Chromosomal localization of the human T cell receptor beta-chain genes. Cell. 1985 May;41(1):335–335. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(85)90086-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. McIntyre B. W., Allison J. P. The mouse T cell receptor: structural heterogeneity of molecules of normal T cells defined by xenoantiserum. Cell. 1983 Oct;34(3):739–746. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(83)90530-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Meuer S. C., Fitzgerald K. A., Hussey R. E., Hodgdon J. C., Schlossman S. F., Reinherz E. L. Clonotypic structures involved in antigen-specific human T cell function. Relationship to the T3 molecular complex. J Exp Med. 1983 Feb 1;157(2):705–719. doi: 10.1084/jem.157.2.705. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Sim G. K., Yagüe J., Nelson J., Marrack P., Palmer E., Augustin A., Kappler J. Primary structure of human T-cell receptor alpha-chain. Nature. 1984 Dec 20;312(5996):771–775. doi: 10.1038/312771a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Siu G., Clark S. P., Yoshikai Y., Malissen M., Yanagi Y., Strauss E., Mak T. W., Hood L. The human T cell antigen receptor is encoded by variable, diversity, and joining gene segments that rearrange to generate a complete V gene. Cell. 1984 Jun;37(2):393–401. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(84)90369-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Southern E. M. Detection of specific sequences among DNA fragments separated by gel electrophoresis. J Mol Biol. 1975 Nov 5;98(3):503–517. doi: 10.1016/s0022-2836(75)80083-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Toyonaga B., Yoshikai Y., Vadasz V., Chin B., Mak T. W. Organization and sequences of the diversity, joining, and constant region genes of the human T-cell receptor beta chain. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1985 Dec;82(24):8624–8628. doi: 10.1073/pnas.82.24.8624. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Winoto A., Mjolsness S., Hood L. Genomic organization of the genes encoding mouse T-cell receptor alpha-chain. 1985 Aug 29-Sep 4Nature. 316(6031):832–836. doi: 10.1038/316832a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Wu T. T., Kabat E. A. An analysis of the sequences of the variable regions of Bence Jones proteins and myeloma light chains and their implications for antibody complementarity. J Exp Med. 1970 Aug 1;132(2):211–250. doi: 10.1084/jem.132.2.211. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Yanagi Y., Chan A., Chin B., Minden M., Mak T. W. Analysis of cDNA clones specific for human T cells and the alpha and beta chains of the T-cell receptor heterodimer from a human T-cell line. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1985 May;82(10):3430–3434. doi: 10.1073/pnas.82.10.3430. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Yanagi Y., Yoshikai Y., Leggett K., Clark S. P., Aleksander I., Mak T. W. A human T cell-specific cDNA clone encodes a protein having extensive homology to immunoglobulin chains. Nature. 1984 Mar 8;308(5955):145–149. doi: 10.1038/308145a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Yoshikai Y., Clark S. P., Taylor S., Sohn U., Wilson B. I., Minden M. D., Mak T. W. Organization and sequences of the variable, joining and constant region genes of the human T-cell receptor alpha-chain. 1985 Aug 29-Sep 4Nature. 316(6031):837–840. doi: 10.1038/316837a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Zinkernagel R. M., Doherty P. C. MHC-restricted cytotoxic T cells: studies on the biological role of polymorphic major transplantation antigens determining T-cell restriction-specificity, function, and responsiveness. Adv Immunol. 1979;27:51–177. doi: 10.1016/s0065-2776(08)60262-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The Journal of Experimental Medicine are provided here courtesy of The Rockefeller University Press

RESOURCES