T cell receptor genes and T cell development in virus-transformed early T cell lines

• Published in: The Journal of immunology (1950) Vol. 144; no. 4; pp. 1518 - 1525
• Main Authors: Hashimoto, Y, Blank, KJ
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bethesda, MD Am Assoc Immnol 15.02.1990; American Association of Immunologists
• Subjects: AKR murine leukemia virus; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Blotting, Southern; Cell Differentiation; Cell Transformation, Viral; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fundamental immunology; Gene Expression; Gene Rearrangement, T-Lymphocyte; Immunobiology; Lymphoid cells: ontogeny, maturation, markers, receptors, circulation and recirculation; Mice; Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell - genetics; RNA, Messenger - genetics; T-Lymphocytes - cytology; T-Lymphocytes - physiology; Oncovirinae; T cell receptor; Transformed cell; Rodentia; Retroviridae; Gene expression; Virus; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Cell line; Gene; Mouse; Type C oncovirus; T-Lymphocyte; Gene rearrangement; Murine leukemia virus
• ISSN: 0022-1767; 1550-6606
• DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.144.4.1518

We have derived T cell lines from mice inoculated with Gross leukemia virus, which appear to represent early T cell developmental stages and to reflect normal T cell development. These cell lines may provide a breakthrough in the study of T cell development as Abelson transformants have done for the study of B cell development. Analysis of the TCR gene expression in these cell lines reveals that the sequence of rearrangement and expression of each TCR gene is not strictly ordered. Expression of RNA for the TCR alpha and -beta genes appears to be coordinated with rearrangement at the alpha and beta loci. This is not the case for gamma gene expression. Availability of the homogeneous populations of cells represented in these cells lines allows for a more detailed molecular analysis of T cell development than was previously possible.