Chromosome 14 in B10.A(18R) mice is recombinant and includes Tcra-Va alleles

Analysis of mouse Tcr genes has previously defined at least five different Tcra-V haplotypes among inbred strains of mice. For mice of the Tcra-Vb haplotype, including C57BL/10 (B10), T-cell expression of the Tcra-V11 gene subfamily can be detected with a monoclonal antibody, 1.F2. In the course of further characterizing the specificity of 1.F2, we found that it fails to recognize Tcra-V11-expressing T-cell hybrids derived from the B10 congenic strain, B10.A(18R)/SgIcr. Moreover, staining analysis indicated that the Va11 epitope recognized by 1.F2 is not expressed by peripheral T cells from several different B10.A(18R) colonies with the exception of that at the Research Institute of Scripps Clinic. Nucleotide sequences were determined for cDNA representing rearranged Tcra-V11 genes from two independent, B10.A(18R)/SgIcr derived T-cell hybrids. The two Tcra-V11 gene segments were identical and the predicted amino acid sequence differed by at least five residues from Tcra-V11 sequences previously obtained from B10.A mice. Southern blot analysis of restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP) associated with Tcra-V11, as well as Tcra-V1, subfamily genes revealed that the B10.A(18R) mouse has inherited Tcra-Va alleles rather than the expected Tcra-Vb alleles from the B10 strain. RFLP analysis of the Rib-1 locus, located in close proximity to the Tcra locus on chromosome 14, showed that B10.A(18R) carries the Rib-1b allele from B10. These results indicate that the B10.A(18R) mouse has inherited a recombinant chromosome 14 with a recombination event having occurred between the Rib-1 locus and the Tcra-V gene subfamilies examined. Inheritance of Tcra-Va alleles in B10.A(18R) probably originated from strain 129/J which breeding records show was used in the first cross with B10.A in the production of B10.A(18R) and which we found exhibits Tcra-V11a RFLPs.