Abstract
The random addition of 'N nucleotides' by terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase (TdT) is an important component of the diversity of T-cell receptor genes. We have investigated the expression of TdT during thymocyte differentiation and thymus ontogeny. TdT gene transcripts are confined to immature thymocytes of the cortex, being downregulated concomitantly with recombination-activating gene transcripts after positive selection of mature medullary T cells. According to in situ hybridization, TdT RNA is absent from the neonatal thymus, but it appears 3 to 5 days after birth, just before the appearance of significant N-region diversity in T-cell receptor junctional sequences but clearly after the thymus attains competence at clonal deletion.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 11011-11015 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |
| Volume | 89 |
| Issue number | 22 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Nov 26 1992 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- T-cell receptor
- T-cell repertoire
- T-lymphocyte maturation
- terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase
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Bogue, M., Gilfillan, S., Benoist, C., & Mathis, D. (1992). Regulation of N-region diversity in antigen receptors through thymocyte differentiation and thymus ontogeny. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 89(22), 11011-11015. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.89.22.11011