TY - JOUR
T1 - Regulation of N-region diversity in antigen receptors through thymocyte differentiation and thymus ontogeny
AU - Bogue, M.
AU - Gilfillan, S.
AU - Benoist, C.
AU - Mathis, D.
PY - 1992
Y1 - 1992
N2 - 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 down-regulated 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.
AB - 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 down-regulated 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.
KW - T-cell receptor
KW - T-cell repertoire
KW - T-lymphocyte maturation
KW - Terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0026443729&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Article
C2 - 1438306
AN - SCOPUS:0026443729
SN - 0027-8424
VL - 89
SP - 11011
EP - 11015
JO - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
JF - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
IS - 22
ER -