T-cell Receptor Delta Chain Gene Research Articles

T-cell receptor alpha, beta, gamma, and delta chain gene microsatellites show no association with multiple sclerosis.

Genetic predisposition to multiple sclerosis (MS) is determined, in part, by certain HLA genotypes, but the contribution of T-cell receptor (TCR) germline polymorphisms to MS susceptibility is less clear. Reports of disease associations with restriction fragment length polymorphisms of TCR alpha and beta chain genes have been difficult to confirm, and little data is available on the influence of the TCR gamma delta germline in MS. We investigated the TCR alpha, beta, gamma, and delta chain genes of Northern Irish patients with MS using four microsatellite markers of high heterozygosity. There were similar allele frequencies in patients and controls for all microsatellites studied. We conclude there is no convincing evidence for an association of MS with TCR alpha, beta, gamma, and delta chain gene polymorphisms.

The tcl-3 proto-oncogene altered by chromosomal translocation in T-cell leukemia codes for a homeobox protein.

The t(10;14)(q24;q11) chromosomal translocation found in malignant cells of 5-10% of patients with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) involves the T-cell receptor delta chain gene on chromosome 14 and a breakpoint cluster region on chromosome 10. The candidate proto-oncogene tcl-3, thought to be involved in the pathogenesis of t(10;14) T-ALL, was cloned and found to be elevated in expression in leukemic cells harboring the t(10;14) translocation. Sequence analysis revealed that tcl-3 is a new homeobox-containing gene. Comparison of the tcl-3 cDNA and its 5' genomic sequences with DNA sequences from the t(10;14) translocation breakpoints showed that this gene is structurally altered in four patients with t(10;14)(q24;q11) T-ALL. These findings suggest that homeobox-containing genes that normally act as transcription factors may contribute to T-cell leukemogenesis when abnormally expressed.