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. 1990 Jul;9(7):2141–2150. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1990.tb07383.x

Genomic organization of the mouse T cell receptor V alpha family.

E Jouvin-Marche 1, I Hue 1, P N Marche 1, C Liebe-Gris 1, J P Marolleau 1, B Malissen 1, P A Cazenave 1, M Malissen 1
PMCID: PMC551935  PMID: 2357962

Abstract

Based on the analysis of V alpha gene segment deletions in a panel of T lymphomas, we have constructed a map of the mouse T cell receptor alpha/delta region and assigned the relative position of 72 distinct V gene segments. Three major observations have emerged from such studies. First, members of a given V alpha subfamily are not organized in discrete units along the chromosome but largely interspersed with members of other V alpha subfamilies. Second, analysis of the deletion map suggests the existence of repetitive patterns (V alpha clusters) in the chromosomal distribution of the V alpha gene segments. Third, the present-day organization of the V alpha/delta region may be readily explained by a series of sequential duplications involving three ancestral V alpha clusters. Direct evidence for the existence of these unique structural features has been gained by cloning approximately 370 kb of DNA and positioning 26 distinct V alpha gene segments belonging to six different subfamilies. Finally, the relationships existing between the V alpha/delta gene segment organization and usage are discussed in terms of position-dependent models.

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Selected References

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