Developmental regulation of αβ T cell antigen receptor assembly in immature CD4+CD8+ thymocytes

Kelly P. Kearse, Joseph P. Roberts, David L. Wiest, Alfred Singer

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

15 Scopus citations

Abstract

Most lymphocytes of the T cell lineage develop along the CD4/CD8 pathway and express antigen receptors on their surfaces consisting of clonotypic αβ chains associated with invariant CD3‐γδε components and ζ chains, collectively referred to as the T cell antigen receptor complex (TCR). Expression of the TCR complex is dynamically regulated during T cell development, with immature CD4+CD8+ thymocytes expressing only 10% of the number of αβ TCR complexes on their surfaces expressed by mature CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Recent evidence demonstrates that low surface TCR density on CD4+CD8+ thymocytes results from the limited survival of a single TCR component within the ER, the TCRα chain, which has a half life of only 15 minutes in immature thymocytes, compared to >75 minutes in mature T cells. Instability of TCRα proteins in immature CD4+CD8+ thymocytes represents a novel mechanism by which expression of the multisubunit TCR complex is quantitatively regulated during T cell development. In the current review we discuss our recent findings concerning the assembly, intracellular transport, and expression of αβ TCR complexes in CD4+CD8+ thymocytes and comment on the functional significance of TCRα instability during T cell development.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1049-1054
Number of pages6
JournalBioEssays
Volume17
Issue number12
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 1995
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Animals
  • CD4 Antigens/analysis
  • CD8 Antigens/analysis
  • Humans
  • Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta/biosynthesis
  • T-Lymphocyte Subsets/immunology
  • Thymus Gland/cytology

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