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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1988 Dec;85(24):9729–9732. doi: 10.1073/pnas.85.24.9729

Early expression of a T-cell receptor beta-chain transgene suppresses rearrangement of the V gamma 4 gene segment.

H von Boehmer 1, M Bonneville 1, I Ishida 1, S Ryser 1, G Lincoln 1, R T Smith 1, H Kishi 1, B Scott 1, P Kisielow 1, S Tonegawa 1
PMCID: PMC282851  PMID: 2974164

Abstract

beta transgenic mice have a T-cell receptor beta-chain gene that is prematurely expressed on the surface of CD4- CD8- thymocytes and paired with an uncharacterized non-T-cell receptor alpha-chain polypeptide. The rearrangement of the T-cell receptor variable region gamma chain gene segment V gamma 4, a component of the gamma-chain gene that is rearranged and expressed preferentially on thymocytes of normal adult mice, is severely repressed in beta transgenic mice. Consequently no gamma delta T-cell receptor heterodimers are detectable on the surface of adult thymocytes or splenic T cells. These results indicate that cells expressing alpha beta or gamma (V gamma 4)-delta TCRs originate from a common precursor in which the first productive rearrangement of either the beta or gamma locus determines the further differentiation pathway into either alpha beta or gamma delta T cells. The repression of V gamma 4 rearrangement by a preexisting beta-chain gene may be indicative of one of several mechanisms which ensure that gamma delta and alpha beta receptors do not as a rule appear on the surface of the same cell.

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Selected References

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