HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Boucontet, L. Articles by Pereira, P. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Boucontet, L. Articles by Pereira, P.

Mechanisms Controlling Termination of V-J Recombination at the TCR Locus: Implications for Allelic and Isotypic Exclusion of TCR Chains¹

Laurent Boucontet^*, Nuno Sepúlveda, Jorge Carneiro and Pablo Pereira^2,*

^* Unité du Développement des Lymphocytes, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Unité de Recherche Associée 1961, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France; Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciencia, Oeiras, Portugal

Analyses of V-J rearrangements producing the most commonly expressed TCR chains in over 200 TCR⁺ thymocytes showed that assembly of TCR V-region genes display properties of allelic exclusion. Moreover, introduction of functionally rearranged TCR and transgenes results in a profound inhibition of endogenous TCR rearrangements in progenitor cells. The extent of TCR rearrangements in these cells is best explained by a model in which initiation of TCR rearrangements at both alleles is asymmetric, occurs at different frequencies depending on the V or J segments involved, and is terminated upon production of a functional TCR. Approximately 10% of the cells studied contained two functional TCR chains involving different V and J gene segments, thus defining a certain degree of isotypic inclusion. However, these cells are isotypically excluded at the level of cell surface expression possibly due to pairing restrictions between different TCR and chains.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. L. Joachims, J. L. Chain, S. W. Hooker, C. J. Knott-Craig, and L. F. Thompson Human {alpha}beta and {gamma}{delta} Thymocyte Development: TCR Gene Rearrangements, Intracellular TCRbeta Expression, and {gamma}{delta} Developmental Potential--Differences between Men and Mice J. Immunol., February 1, 2006; 176(3): 1543 - 1552. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]