Tg(Tcra,Tcrb)562Biat

A T cell hybridoma was generated using effector T helper (Th) cells from BALB/cAnNCrl mice affected by experimental autoimmune myocarditis (EAM) induced by a peptide corresponding to amino acids 614-629 of cardiac myosin heavy chain alpha. The variable region coding sequences of its T cell receptor alpha (Tcra: Va2-Ja42) and beta (Tcrb: Vb8-Db1-Jb2-4) mRNAs were cloned into Tcra and Tcrb expression cassettes, respectively. Each of these cassettes provides all the necessary 5' promoter sequences, the transcripional initiation site, and most of the 5' untranslated region of the mRNA residing upstream of a genomic V-region gene segment; the essential 3' enhancer sequences present upstream of the constant- (C-) region gene segment(s); and a C-region gene segment. The linearized constructs were co-injected into fertilized oocytes. Cell sorting followed by RT-PCR analysis showed that the transgene-encoded T cell receptor (TCR) Valpha2 and Vbeta8 chains are expressed in 80 to >95% of peripheral CD4+ T cells and almost all thymic CD4 single-positive (SP) T cells of transgenic mice. (J:99452, J:187943)