| First Author | Mancini S | Year | 1999 |
| Journal | J Immunol | Volume | 163 |
| Issue | 11 | Pages | 6053-9 |
| PubMed ID | 10570293 | Mgi Jnum | J:58653 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:1349315 | Doi | 10.4049/jimmunol.163.11.6053 |
| Citation | Mancini S, et al. (1999) TCR alpha-chain repertoire in pTalpha-deficient mice is diverse and developmentally regulated: implications for pre-TCR functions and TCRA gene rearrangement. J Immunol 163(11):6053-9 |
| abstractText | Pre-TCR expression on developing thymocytes allows cells with productive TCRB gene rearrangements to further differentiate. In wild-type mice, most TCRA gene rearrangements are initiated after pre-TCR expression. However, in pTalpha-deficient mice, a substantial number of alphabeta+ thymocytes are still produced, in part because early TCR alpha-chain expression can rescue immature thymocytes from cell death. In this study, the nature of these TCR alpha-chains, produced and expressed in the absence of pre-TCR expression, have been analyzed. We show, by FACS analysis and sequencing of rearranged transcripts, that the TCRA repertoire is diverse in pTalpha-/- mice and that the developmental regulation of AJ segment use is maintained, yet slightly delayed around birth when compared with wild-type mice. We also found that T cell differentiation is more affected by pTalpha inactivation during late gestation than later in life. These data suggest that the pre-TCR is not functionally required for the initiation and regulation of TCRA gene rearrangement and that fetal thymocytes are more dependent than adult cells on pTalpha-derived signals for their differentiation. |
