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. 1986 Jun;83(12):4441–4445. doi: 10.1073/pnas.83.12.4441

Change in antigen specificity of cytotoxic T lymphocytes is associated with the rearrangement and expression of a T-cell receptor beta-chain gene.

J T Epplen, F Bartels, A Becker, G Nerz, M Prester, A Rinaldy, M M Simon
PMCID: PMC323749  PMID: 3487087

Abstract

Cloned H-Y-specific murine cytotoxic T lymphocytes, which alter antigen specificity in vitro ("aging"), simultaneously exhibit changes in the T-cell antigen receptor beta-chain rearrangements and respective mRNAs expressed. beta-chain cDNA clones were isolated from a library prepared from mRNA of aged killer T cells. The sequence of the beta-chain variable region element (VAK) was found to be identical with germ-line DNA. Four bases at the beta-chain diversity-joining region (D beta--J beta) junction cannot be explained by known germ-line D beta and J beta elements. These results illustrate that in T-cell clones altered antigen specificity correlates with a switch in productive beta-chain rearrangements of the T-cell receptor. When tested for its expression under physiological conditions, significant levels of VAK mRNA were found in normal lymphocyte populations.

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