Article Abstract:
Several genetic studies have pointed to a sequence of gene actions that result in the establishment of the germ line. One of the limitations of such studies is that they do not reveal how the germ cell phenotype is determined. Another problem is the lack of information regarding the molecular identity of the primordial germ cells (PGCs). The fact that most of the genes required for germ cell formation encode proteins that control general cellular properties, compounds the problem even more.
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Article Abstract:
DNA sequencing and a novel technique that analyzes populations of gene rearrangements were used to study the thymocytes from mice congenitally deficient for T cell receptor (TCR) alpha chain synthesis with respect to the status of their TCR beta chain genes. A great majority of chromosomal beta chain gene rearrangements are productive, suggesting that rearrangement is a requisite event in thymocyte maturation, independent of the expression of TCR alpha.
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Article Abstract:
T cell receptors (TCRs) can only recognize a foreign antigen when it is associated with a major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecule. Crystallographic analyses have enabled direct visualization of the binding of a TCR to its MHC/peptide ligand. This development finally allows immunologists to observe MHC restricted T cell recognition by looking at three-dimensional representations.
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