Alpha beta T-cell development is not affected by inversion of TCR beta gene enhancer sequences: polar enhancement of gene expression regardless of enhancer orientation

• Published in: Immunology 2003-08, Vol.109 (4), p.510-514
• Main Authors: Huang, Fang, Cabaud, Olivier, Verthuy, Christophe, Hueber, Anne-Odile, Ferrier, Pierre
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Antigens, CD; Antigens, CD - genetics; Biochemistry, Molecular Biology; Cancer; Cell Differentiation; Cell Differentiation - genetics; Enhancer Elements (Genetics); Enhancer Elements, Genetic - genetics; Flow Cytometry; Flow Cytometry - methods; Gene Expression; Gene Rearrangement, beta-Chain T-Cell Antigen Receptor; Gene Rearrangement, beta-Chain T-Cell Antigen Receptor - genetics; Genes, T-Cell Receptor beta; Genes, T-Cell Receptor beta - genetics; Life Sciences; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Transgenic; Molecular biology; Recombination, Genetic; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction - methods; T-Lymphocyte Subsets; T-Lymphocyte Subsets - physiology; Transcription, Genetic
• ISSN: 0019-2805; 1365-2567
• DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2567.2003.01691.x

V(D)J recombination and expression of the T-cell receptor beta (TCRbeta) gene are required for the development of the alphabeta T lymphocyte lineage. These processes depend on a transcriptional enhancer (Ebeta) which acts preferentially on adjacent upstream sequences, and has little impact on the 5' distal and 3' proximal regions of the TCRbeta locus. Using knock-in mice, we show that alphabeta T-cell differentiation and TCRbeta gene recombination and expression are not sensitive to the orientation of Ebeta sequences. We discuss the implication of these results regarding the mode of enhancer function at this locus during T lymphocyte development.