| First Author | Eberl G | Year | 1999 |
| Journal | Eur J Immunol | Volume | 29 |
| Issue | 6 | Pages | 1966-71 |
| PubMed ID | 10382759 | Mgi Jnum | J:56063 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:1339929 | Doi | 10.1002/(SICI)1521-4141(199906)29:06<1966::AID-IMMU1966>3.0.CO;2-G |
| Citation | Eberl G, et al. (1999) Absolute requirement for the pre-T cell receptor alpha chain during NK1.1+ TCRalphabeta cell development. Eur J Immunol 29(6):1966-71 |
| abstractText | Most natural killer T (NKT) cells express a highly skewed alphabeta TCR repertoire, consisting of an invariant V alpha14-J alpha281 chain paired preferentially with a polyclonal Vbeta8.2 chain. This repertoire is positively selected by the monomorphic CD1d molecule expressed on cells of hematopoietic origin. The origin of NKT cells and their lineage relationship to conventional T cells is controversial. We show here that the development of NKT cells is absolutely dependent on expression of the pre-TCRalpha chain, in marked contrast to conventional T cells which arise in significant numbers even in the absence of a functional pre-TCR. Distinct developmental requirements for pre-TCR expression in the NKT and T cell lineages may reflect differences in the ability of the TCRalphabeta to substitute functionally for the pre-TCR in immature precursor cells. |
