Abstract
The diversity of the T cell receptor repertoire is generated by rearrangement of gene elements in immature thymocytes. To identify a thymic signal that induces this rearrangement, a variety of agents were tested for their ability to induce rearrangement of the T cell receptor beta gene in suspensions of thymocytes from mouse embryos at day 14 of gestation. Of 16 agents tested, only interleukin-7 (IL-7) induced V(D)J gene rearrangement and sustained expression of the RAG-1 and RAG-2 genes, which are known to control rearrangement. These data implicate IL-7, a cytokine that is abundantly expressed in embryonic thymus, in driving gene rearrangement during early T cell development.
MeSH terms
-
Animals
-
Base Sequence
-
Cell Line
-
Cell Survival / drug effects
-
Cells, Cultured
-
DNA-Binding Proteins*
-
Gene Expression
-
Gene Rearrangement, beta-Chain T-Cell Antigen Receptor*
-
Genes, RAG-1
-
Hematopoietic Cell Growth Factors / pharmacology
-
Interleukin-7 / pharmacology*
-
Ionomycin / pharmacology
-
Mice
-
Molecular Sequence Data
-
Organ Culture Techniques
-
Proteins / genetics
-
Stem Cell Factor
-
T-Lymphocytes / cytology
-
T-Lymphocytes / immunology*
-
Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate / pharmacology
-
Thymus Gland / embryology
-
Thymus Gland / immunology
-
Tumor Cells, Cultured
Substances
-
DNA-Binding Proteins
-
Hematopoietic Cell Growth Factors
-
Interleukin-7
-
Proteins
-
Rag2 protein, mouse
-
Stem Cell Factor
-
V(D)J recombination activating protein 2
-
Ionomycin
-
Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate