Expression of recombination-activating genes and T cell receptor gene recombination in the human T cell leukemia cell line  

作　　者：ZOU Hong-yun MA Li MENG Min-jie YAO Xin-sheng LIN Ying WU Zhen-qiang HE Xiao-wei WANG Ju-fang WANG Xiao-ning 

机构地区：[1]Institute of Molecular Immunology, School of Biotechnology, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515,China [2]School of Bioscience and Bioengineering, South China University of Technology,Guangzhou 510641, China [3]School of Life Science and Biopharmacology, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, China

出　　处：《Chinese Medical Journal》2007年第5期410-415,共6页中华医学杂志（英文版）

基　　金：grants from Major State Basic Research Development 973 Program of China(No.2001CB510008 and 2003CB514113);NSFC & Research Grant Coancil of Hong Kong Joint Research Fund(No.30418003).

摘　　要：Background Recent studies have suggested that mature T cells can change their specificity through reexpression of recombination-activating genes （RAG） and RAG-mediated V（D）J recombination. This process is named receptor revision and has been observed in mature peripheral T cells from transgenic mice and human donors. However, whether the receptor revision in mature T cells is a random or orientated process remains poorly understood. Here we used the Jurkat human T cell line, which represents a mature stage of T cell development, as a model to investigate the regulation of T cell receptor （TCR） gene recombination. Methods TCR Dβ-Jβ signal joint T cell receptor excision DNA circles （sjTRECs） were determined by nested and seminested PCR. Double-strand DNA breaks at recombination signal sequences （RSSs） in the TCRVβ chain locus were detected by ligation-mediated-PCR. Further analysis of the complementarity-determining region 3 （CDR3） size of the TCRVβ chain was examined by the TCR GeneScan technique. Results RAG1, RAG2, and three crucial components of the nonhomologous DNA end-joining （NHEJ） pathway were readily detected in Jurkat. Characteristics of junctional diversity of Dβ2-Jβ2 signal joints and ds RSS breaks associated with the Dβ2 5＇ and Dβ 2 3＇ sites were detected in DNA from Jurkat cells. CDR3 size and the gene sequences of the TCRVβ chain did not change during cell proliferation. Conclusions RAG1 and RAG2 and ongoing TCR gene recombination are coexpressed in Jurkat cells, but the ongoing recombination process may not play a role in modification of the TCR repertoire.However, the results suggest that Jurkat could be used as a model for studying the regulation of RAGs and V（D）J recombination and as a ＂special＂ model of the coexistence of TCR gene rearrangements and ＂negative＂ receptor revision.Background Recent studies have suggested that mature T cells can change their specificity through reexpression of recombination-activating genes （RAG） and RAG-mediated V（D）J recombination. This process is named receptor revision and has been observed in mature peripheral T cells from transgenic mice and human donors. However, whether the receptor revision in mature T cells is a random or orientated process remains poorly understood. Here we used the Jurkat human T cell line, which represents a mature stage of T cell development, as a model to investigate the regulation of T cell receptor （TCR） gene recombination. Methods TCR Dβ-Jβ signal joint T cell receptor excision DNA circles （sjTRECs） were determined by nested and seminested PCR. Double-strand DNA breaks at recombination signal sequences （RSSs） in the TCRVβ chain locus were detected by ligation-mediated-PCR. Further analysis of the complementarity-determining region 3 （CDR3） size of the TCRVβ chain was examined by the TCR GeneScan technique. Results RAG1, RAG2, and three crucial components of the nonhomologous DNA end-joining （NHEJ） pathway were readily detected in Jurkat. Characteristics of junctional diversity of Dβ2-Jβ2 signal joints and ds RSS breaks associated with the Dβ2 5＇ and Dβ 2 3＇ sites were detected in DNA from Jurkat cells. CDR3 size and the gene sequences of the TCRVβ chain did not change during cell proliferation. Conclusions RAG1 and RAG2 and ongoing TCR gene recombination are coexpressed in Jurkat cells, but the ongoing recombination process may not play a role in modification of the TCR repertoire.However, the results suggest that Jurkat could be used as a model for studying the regulation of RAGs and V（D）J recombination and as a ＂special＂ model of the coexistence of TCR gene rearrangements and ＂negative＂ receptor revision.

关 键 词：recombination-activating genes T cell receptor gene recombination receptor revision TCR GeneScan 

分 类 号：R733.7[医药卫生—肿瘤]