| First Author | Rytkönen MA | Year | 1996 |
| Journal | Eur J Immunol | Volume | 26 |
| Issue | 8 | Pages | 1892-6 |
| PubMed ID | 8765036 | Mgi Jnum | J:34590 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:82045 | Doi | 10.1002/eji.1830260833 |
| Citation | Rytkonen MA, et al. (1996) Restricted onset of T cell receptor alpha gene rearrangement in fetal and neonatal thymocytes. Eur J Immunol 26(8):1892-6 |
| abstractText | The initial T cell receptor (TCR) alpha gene rearrangements were analyzed in fetal and neonatal thymocyte hybridomas by Southern blotting. Interestingly, in 30% of all thymocyte hybridomas and in all fetal day 16 thymocyte hybridomas the most proximal J alpha 50 (psi J alpha) gene was rearranged. This rearrangement was found on one chromosome only and mostly in association with a delta rearrangement on the homologous chromosome. J alpha 50 was rearranged to multiple target genes based on the variable size of the restriction fragments. In addition, delta rearrangement was found with a concomitant alpha rearrangement in the majority of hybridomas and it was not only associated with J alpha 50 but with several other rearranged J alpha genes as well. Our results clearly demonstrate that T cell precursors are not pre-committed to either delta or alpha rearrangement but a flexible progenitor responds to multiple regulatory signals during T cell differentiation and they do not support the notion that delta rec-psi J alpha rearrangement is required for cell commitment to TCR alpha gene rearrangement. |
