Absolute requirement for the pre-T cell receptor α chain during NK1.1+ TCRα β cell development

✍ Scribed by Gérard Eberl; Hans Jörg Fehling; Harald von Boehmer; H. Robson MacDonald

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1999
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 128 KB
• Volume: 29
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0014-2980
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1521-4141(199906)29:06<1966::aid-immu1966>3.0.co;2-g

✦ Synopsis

Most natural killer T (NKT) cells express a highly skewed § g TCR repertoire, consisting of an invariant V § 14-J § 281 chain paired preferentially with a polyclonal V g 8.2 chain. This repertoire is positively selected by the monomorphic CD1d molecule expressed on cells of hematopoietic origin. The origin of NKT cells and their lineage relationship to conventional T cells is controversial. We show here that the development of NKT cells is absolutely dependent on expression of the pre-TCR § chain, in marked contrast to conventional T cells which arise in significant numbers even in the absence of a functional pre-TCR. Distinct developmental requirements for pre-TCR expression in the NKT and T cell lineages may reflect differences in the ability of the TCR § g to substitute functionally for the pre-TCR in immature precursor cells.