PREFERENTIAL ASSOCIATION OF ALPHA-CHAINS AND BETA-CHAINS OF THE T-CELL ANTIGEN RECEPTOR

The cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) clone B6.2.16 expresses a V(beta)8.2/J(beta)2.3/C(beta)2-encoded T cell receptor (TcR) beta-chain and an alpha-chain that is encoded by a novel V(alpha) gene segment, J(alpha)27 and C(alpha). While expression of V(alpha)B6.2.16 and J(alpha)27 is not detectable in lymph node cells of normal C57BL/6 mice, expression of these gene segments was readily seen in transgenic mice expressing the rearranged beta-chain gene of the B6.2.16 T cell clone. This finding indicates that only a limited number of alpha-chains can associate with the B6.2.16 beta-chain and strongly suggests that the size of the TcR repertoire of mature T cells is not only limited by TcR ligand-mediated thymic selection but also by restrictions in alpha-beta-combinatorial chain-association.