Transcriptional regulation of the human T cell receptor delta gene

T cell receptor delta gene expression is regulated by a T cell-specific transcriptional enhancer located within the J delta 3-C delta intron. An essential element of the enhancer was localized to a small 30 bp segment denoted delta E3. Two specific factors, CBF/PEBP2 and c-Myb, bind to adjacent sites within delta E3 and cooperate functionally to mediate transcriptional activation. These factors are likely to play essential roles in the developmental activation of the TCR delta gene in vivo.