T-cell antigen receptor beta-chain variable region families: a study of their distribution in normal and reactive

D M Clark1, A W Boylston

  • 1Department of Pathology, St Mary's Hospital Medical School, London, U.K.

The beta chain of the T-cell antigen receptor is constructed using a variable region gene from one of approximately 20 variable gene families. Antibodies that react with the products of these gene families have been used to demonstrate clonal proliferation of T cells. Here, we describe the expression of two beta-chain variable region families in normal and reactive lymphoid tissues. In all the tissues studied, expression was scattered throughout the T-cell areas, without any clustering of expression.