Identification of a functional NF-kappa B binding site in the murine T cell receptor beta 2 locus

We have identified a sequence in the TCR beta 2 locus that is homologous to the kappa B site in the Ig kappa light chain enhancer. This element, TCR beta-B, is located in the vicinity of previously identified T cell-specific DNase1 hypersensitive sites. Transfection analysis shows that a 60-bp fragment encompassing this site is preferentially active in T cells stimulated with phorbol esters or the HTLV-1 tax gene product compared with a B cell line that constitutively expresses NF-kappa B. Our results provide the first evidence for transcriptional regulatory sequences residing within the J beta 2-C beta 2 intron and suggest the possible involvement of these sequences in modulation of TCR beta gene expression upon cellular activation.