A CONSENSUS PRIMER TO AMPLIFY BOTH ALPHA-CHAIN AND BETA-CHAIN OF THE HUMAN T-CELL RECEPTOR

The use of reverse transcriptase in conjunction with the polymerase ch ain reaction (RT-PCR) has proven invaluable in the analysis of the T c ell receptor (TCR) repertoire of different populations of T cells. How ever, the presence of a variable region in the T cell receptor has hin dered the design of primers for the 5' end of the TCR cDNA. We describ e the design and use of a degenerate consensus primer that allows ampl ification of both the alpha and beta chains of the human TCR. We have used this primer in the analysis of the TCR distribution of T cell clo nes, peripheral blood lymphocytes and lymphocytes residing in tissue. In addition, the primer has allowed the identification of an alternati ve splice site in the beta chain constant region which cannot translat e into a functional constant region. We have found the primer to be ea sy to use, sensitive and specific.