MYELIN BASIC PROTEIN-SPECIFIC AND TCR V-BETA-8.2-SPECIFIC T-CELL LINES FROM TCR V-BETA-8.2 TRANSGENIC MICE UTILIZE THE SAME V-ALPHA AND V-BETA GENES - SPECIFICITY ASSOCIATED WITH THE V-ALPHA-CDR3-J-ALPHA REGION

Our analysis of TCR V gene usage in mice transgenic for the V beta 8.2 gene has demonstrated that T cells isolated from the spinal cord of t hese transgenic mice during active experimental autoimmune encephalomy elitis were significantly biased for V alpha 2 expression, This V alph a 2 bias was noted in T cells derived from the periphery as well but o nly after stimulation with specific antigen, Thus, spinal cord-derived pathogenic T cells had already undergone activation and expansion wit hin the central nervous system environment of these mice, As part of a n investigation of regulatory function in these V beta 8.2 transgenic mice, two T cell lines mere selected, The first T cell line is encepha litogenic and specific for the dominant myelin basic protein peptide N Ac1-11, while the second T cell line is specific for the V beta 8.2 pr otein, Surprisingly, polymerase chain reaction and sequence analysis o f the TCR from both T cell lines demonstrated that they utilize identi cal V beta, D beta, J beta, and V alpha gene segments, The only differ ence found was in their use of the J alpha gene segment, indicating th at this region of the TCR molecule can play a key role in determining antigen specificity. (C) 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.