| First Author | Hardardottir F | Year | 1995 |
| Journal | Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A | Volume | 92 |
| Issue | 2 | Pages | 354-8 |
| PubMed ID | 7530361 | Mgi Jnum | J:130387 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:3771545 | Doi | 10.1073/pnas.92.2.354 |
| Citation | Hardardottir F, et al. (1995) T cells with two functional antigen-specific receptors. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 92(2):354-8 |
| abstractText | Although the clonal selection theory states that lymphocytes should bear only a single specificity of receptor, there is much evidence that some T cells, at least, bear two receptors. Here, we have used mice transgenic for genes encoding an autoreactive T-cell receptor (TCR) to examine the specificity of T cells bearing two functional TCRs. We find that T cells developing in mice that do not express the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecule recognized as self by the transgene-encoded TCR express both this TCR and a second TCR that is specific for the MHC molecules of the strain in which it arose. Thus, these T cells have two TCRs, each specific for a distinct antigen bound to a distinct MHC molecule. In contrast, when raised in mice bearing the MHC for which the receptor is specific, T cells develop that express the transgene-encoded TCR almost exclusively. Such mice are highly susceptible to autoimmune disease. Our data suggest that on most T cells bearing two TCRs, only one is specific for peptides bound to self-MHC molecules and, thus, that expression of two TCRs does not usually confer reactivity to two unrelated antigens. |
