These tools will no longer be maintained as of December 31, 2024. Archived website can be found here. PubMed4Hh GitHub repository can be found here. Contact NLM Customer Service if you have questions.
Pubmed for Handhelds
PUBMED FOR HANDHELDS
Search MEDLINE/PubMed
Title: T cell receptor beta-chain genes in the rat. Availability and pattern of utilization of V gene segments differs from that in the mouse. Author: Williams CB, Gutman GA. Journal: J Immunol; 1989 Feb 01; 142(3):1027-35. PubMed ID: 2563271. Abstract: We have constructed a specifically primed thymus cDNA library to study the V-region repertoire of the TCR beta-chain in the laboratory rat. From this library, we have isolated and sequenced 14 clones that hybridize with beta-chain constant region probes, eight of which contain V gene segments. Two of these eight contain a V gene segment whose sequence is 85% identical to mouse V beta 14, which has been estimated to be present in mouse thymocyte cDNA at a frequency of only 1.2%. Of the remaining six, four appear to be homologues of known mouse V beta sequences, and average 88% identity with their mouse counterparts. Two additional rat V regions have no homologue yet identified in the mouse, showing only 64 and 73% identity with the most closely related mouse sequences; at least one of these is present and polymorphic in the mouse genome, and may be located near one end of the V beta deletion known in the SWR strain. The availability and pattern of V beta gene segment expression in rat thymus appears, therefore, to differ significantly from the mouse. Two cDNA clones represent germline transcripts which show a J/C splice (one of which is defective) but no D/J rearrangement; two different J segments are used, indicating the presence of promoter activity 5' to these two J segments. In addition, by using V beta-specific probes derived from our cDNA clones, we have analyzed the distribution of V beta alleles among 10 inbred strains of rat. We find that rat V beta gene segments occur predominantly in single member subfamilies, and present evidence for the existence of three TCR V beta haplotypes defined by RFLP.[Abstract] [Full Text] [Related] [New Search]