Derivation of T‐cell receptor α‐chain double expresser lines from normal murine mature T cells

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Abstract
Because the T‐cell receptor (TCR) α‐chain locus is known to lack allelic exclusion of rearrangements, and as a recent report revealed the existence of α‐chain double expressers among normal human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL), the possible existence of TCR α‐chain double expressers among mature murine T cells was examined. Although two‐colour staining analysis of normal T‐cell populations did not immediately reveal recognizable clusters of Vα double expressers, alternative in vitro stimulations of normal murine T cells with antibodies to two different TCR Vα chains reproducibly induced TCR α‐chain double‐expresser lines. TCR complexes with different α‐chains on such T cells were both shown to be functional. The cell lines were heterogeneous with respect to Vβ usage and the ratio of the expressed amounts of the two α‐chains on the surface. The ratio of the two expressed α‐chains was found to be very stable over a long period of time. These results are consistent with the earlier report on α‐chain double expressers among human T cells and also show normal occurrence of TCR α‐chain double expressers in murine T‐cell populations.