| First Author | Villey I | Year | 1999 |
| Journal | Eur J Immunol | Volume | 29 |
| Issue | 12 | Pages | 4072-80 |
| PubMed ID | 10602018 | Mgi Jnum | J:51523 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:1349648 | Doi | 10.1002/(SICI)1521-4141(199912)29:12<4072::AID-IMMU4072>3.0.CO;2-E |
| Citation | Villey I, et al. (1999) RORgammaT, a thymus-specific isoform of the orphan nuclear receptor RORgamma / TOR, is up-regulated by signaling through the pre-T cell receptor and binds to the TEA promoter. Eur J Immunol 29(12):4072-80 |
| abstractText | TEA (T early alpha) is a genetic element located upstream of the TCR-Jalpha cluster. Thymocytes from mice carrying a targeted deletion of TEA do not rearrange their TCRalpha locus on a window spanning the first nine Jalpha segments. This led us to the hypothesis of TEA having a 'rearrangement focusing' activity on the 5' side of the TCR-Jalpha region. We analyzed DNAseI and 'phylogenetic' footprints within the TEA promoter in an attempt to identify trans-acting factors that could account for its regulatory function on DNA accessibility. One of these footprints corresponded to a putative DNA-binding site for an orphan nuclear receptor of the ROR / RZR family. The RORgammaT cDNA clone was isolated from a thymus library using a probe corresponding to the DNA-binding domain of RORgamma / TOR. RORgammaT is a thymus-specific isoform of RORgamma, expressed almost exclusively in immature double-positive thymocytes. RORgammaT binds, to the TEA promoter in vitro. Lastly, the expression of RORgammaT is stimulated in two situations that mimic activation through the pre-TCR and in which the thymocytes have their TCR-alpha locus in an 'open', yet unrearranged DNA configuration. We propose that the expression of RORgammaT may be part of the pre-TCR activation cascade leading to the maturation of alpha / beta T cells and may participate in the regulation of DNA accessibility in the TCR-Jalpha locus. |
