Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 1988 Oct 27;335(6193):827-30.
doi: 10.1038/335827a0.

Preferential expression of the T-cell receptor V beta 3 gene by Mlsc reactive T cells

Affiliations

Preferential expression of the T-cell receptor V beta 3 gene by Mlsc reactive T cells

R Abe et al. Nature. .

Abstract

The precursor frequency of T cells specific for any given foreign antigen is, in general, extremely low. Prominent exceptions to this rule are the T cells that are specific for foreign major histocompatibility complex (MHC) products or for products of the minor lymphocyte stimulatory (Mls) genes in the mouse which are present at high frequencies. Here, we report a striking overlap or cross-reactivity between the T cells specific for the protein antigen pigeon cytochrome c in association with Ek alpha Ek beta and the set of T cells specific for Mlsc products. In addition, we demonstrate that the basis for this overlap is the predominant expression of one T-cell receptor (TCR) V beta gene, V beta 3, by T cells that recognize Mlsc products. These results indicate the importance of specific TCR alpha beta dimers in the recognition of Mlsc products and that positive or negative selection of T cells specific for Mls self-determinants may selectively alter the repertoire of T cells available for MHC-restricted recognition of foreign antigens.

PubMed Disclaimer

LinkOut - more resources