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- Title
An immunoglobulin heavy-chain gene is altered in two T-cell clones.
- Authors
Forster, A.; Hobart, M.; Hengartner, H.; Rabbitts, T. H.
- Abstract
Thymus-derived lymphocytes (T cells) show a high degree of discrimination in their responses to various antigens, very similar to the specificity repertoire of antibody-producing B cells. The nature of the T-cell receptor which mediates antigen recognition is obscure, but the ability to discriminate between antigenic specificities implies a range of receptor specificities. Many serological and genetic data suggest that T-cell receptors use the immunoglobulin heavy (H)-chain variable (V) region genes but do not carry the antigenic determinants of the immunoglobulin H-chain constant (C) regions; they also do not seem to carry conventional light (L)-chain V- or C-region determinants1-3. In B cells and derivatives the expression of immunoglobulin genes is manifested, at the DNA level, by an alteration of the restriction enzyme patterns of both the H and L immunoglobulin genes4-9. Specifically, V-gene integration involves joining of a V gene with a J segment (in the case of the H chain probably through an intermediate D segment)4,6,7 so that sites for restriction enzymes will undergo changes in cells in which V-J joining has occurred. Here, we describe Southern filter hybridization experiments10 using Cμ and Cκ probes on the DNA of individual T-cell clones from mice, and present evidence for alteration of sequences adjacent to the Cμ gene in the cells.
- Publication
Nature, 1980, Vol 286, Issue 5776, p897
- ISSN
0028-0836
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1038/286897a0