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. 1992 Nov 15;89(22):11011–11015. doi: 10.1073/pnas.89.22.11011

Regulation of N-region diversity in antigen receptors through thymocyte differentiation and thymus ontogeny.

M Bogue 1, S Gilfillan 1, C Benoist 1, D Mathis 1
PMCID: PMC50473  PMID: 1438306

Abstract

The random addition of "N nucleotides" by terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase (TdT) is an important component of the diversity of T-cell receptor genes. We have investigated the expression of TdT during thymocyte differentiation and thymus ontogeny. TdT gene transcripts are confined to immature thymocytes of the cortex, being down-regulated concomitantly with recombination-activating gene transcripts after positive selection of mature medullary T cells. According to in situ hybridization, TdT RNA is absent from the neonatal thymus, but it appears 3 to 5 days after birth, just before the appearance of significant N-region diversity in T-cell receptor junctional sequences but clearly after the thymus attains competence at clonal deletion.

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Selected References

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