Expression of two T cell receptor α chains on the surface of normal murine T cells

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Abstract
We have previously reported that a subset of T cells in T cell receptor (TCR)-transgenic mice may express two different α chains on their surface. The expression of two functional α chains has also been demonstrated for human peripheral blood T cells. In this report, we show that a proportion of normal murine lymph node T cells express two functional α chains on their surface. The extrapolated frequency of these cells present in the normal repertoire ranges from 7–21%, with an average of 15%. Our analysis of a small number of antigen-specific T cell clones suggests that the frequency of antigen-responsive cells expressing two surface α chains is relatively low. This raises the possibility that dual α chain T cells may have a selective disadvantage in responding to specific antigen.