Complexity of the T cell receptor Cbeta isotypes in the Mexican axolotl: structure and diversity of the VDJCbeta3 and VDJCbeta4 chains.

We have reported previously the presence of two T cell receptor beta-chain constant region (Cbeta) isotypes in the Mexican axolotl. Specific Dbeta and Jbeta segments were present at the Vbeta-Cbeta1 and Vbeta-Cbeta2 junctions and nine Vbeta families which associate with both isotypes were characterized. This report describes two new Cbeta isotypes, Cbeta3 and Cbeta4. About 70 % of the amino acids in Cbeta3 are identical to Cbeta1 and Cbeta2. A Dbeta3 and a single Jbeta3 were found at the Vbeta-Cbeta3 junctions. The Dbeta3 consensus core sequence (TACGTGGCTACGTGGG) differs to all the presently known Dbeta and the CDR3beta loops of the Vbeta-Cbeta3 junctions (mean: 11.1 amino acids) contain a majority of aromatic, small hydrophobic and basic residues. The CDR3beta loops of the other isotypes are shorter (mean: 8.5 amino acids), contain a majority of acidic residues and very few aromatic residues. The axolotl Cbeta4 sequence has about 46 % similarity to Cbeta1, Cbeta2 and Cbeta3. Dbeta4 is identical to Dbeta2 and six new Jbeta segments are used at the Vbeta-Cbeta4 junctions. Four new families of Vbeta segments (Vbeta10-Vbeta13) are preferentially associated to Cbeta4. A strong selective pressure must operate in most vertebrates to preserve the structural stability of the extracellular part of the Cbeta chain. The four axolotl Cbeta seem to have evolved more freely, perhaps to favor the early emergence of a large diversity of T cell receptors in an amphibian species which is not fully immunocompetent before the 5th month of development.

Structure and diversity of Mexican axolotl lambda light chains.

We report here the structure of cDNA clones encoding axolotl light chains of the lambda type. A single IGLC gene and eight different potential IGLV genes belonging to four different families were detected. The axolotl Cgamma domain has several residues or stretches of residues that are typically conserved in mammalian, avian, and Xenopus Cgamma, but the KATLVCL stretch, which is well conserved in the Cgamma and T-cell receptor Cbeta domains of many vertebrate species, is not well conserved. All axolotl Vgamma sequences closely match several human and Xenopus Vgamma-like sequences and, although the axolotl Cgamma and Vgamma sequences are very like their tetrapod homologues, they are not closely related to nontetrapod L chains. Southern blot experiments suggested the presence of a single IGLC gene and of a limited number of IGLV genes, and analysis of IGLV-J junctions clearly indicated that at least three of the IGLJ segments can associate with IGLV1, IGLV2, or IGLV3 subgroup genes. The overall diversity of the axolotl Vgamma CDR3 junctions seems to be of the same order as that of mammalian Vgamma chains. However, a single IGLV4 segment was found among the 45 cDNAs analyzed. This suggests that the axolotl IGL locus may have a canonical tandem structure, like the mammalian IGK or IGH loci. Immunofluorescence, immunoblotting, and microsequencing experiments strongly suggested that most, if not all L chains are of the gamma type. This may explain in part the poor humoral response of the axolotl.

RAG expression is restricted to the first year of life in the Mexican axolotl.

The developmental expression of the RAG1 gene in the Mexican axolotl hematopoietic organs was studied. RAG1 mRNAs were first detected in trunk extracts from 6-week-old larvae, and in head and trunk extracts of 8- and 9-week-old larvae. RAG1 is expressed in the thymus at all stages of development, until its natural involution after 12 months of age. In contrast, although RAG1 transcripts were present in the spleen and liver of the young larvae, they were not detected in the liver after 4.5 months and in the spleen after 8 months. No RAG1 mRNA expression was observed in the spleens or livers of 24-month-old hyperimmunized axolotls. The developmental expression of the RAG2 protein was also analyzed in axolotl thymus, spleen, and liver extracts using specific anti-RAG2 antibodies. RAG2 was readily detected at 7 months, but not in hematopoietic organs of 12- and 24-month-old axolotls. The presence of RAG1 transcripts was limited to the sub-capsular area of the thymus lobes, as detected by in situ hybridization. Discrete clusters of labeled cells were observed in the spleen sections, and a relatively large number of labeled cells were located in the hepatic peripheral hematopoietic layer of 3-month-old axolotls. The first appearance of RAG1 gene products in the axolotl hematopoietic organs is thus well correlated with the first production of rearranged T-cell and B-cell receptor mRNAs, 40-60 days after fertilization.

Cloning of two chemokine receptor homologs (CXC-R4 and CC-R7) in rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss.

Two rainbow trout chemokine receptors have been sequenced, with homology to CXC-R4 and CC-R7 molecules. The CXC-R4 sequence consisted of 1681 nucleotides, which translated into a mature protein of 357 amino acids, with 80.7% similarity to human CXC-R4. The CC-R7 sequence consisted of 2287 nucleotides, which translated into a 368-amino acid mature protein with 64.5% similarity to human CC-R7. Both sequences contained seven hydrophobic regions, representing the seven transmembrane domains (TM) typical of G-protein-coupled receptors. Extracellular cysteines, transmembrane prolines, and the DRY motif immediately following TM3 were conserved. Phylogenetic tree analysis revealed a tight clustering of trout CXC-R4 with CXC-R3-5 genes. Trout CC-R7 clustered with CC-R6-7 and CXC-R1-2. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analysis demonstrated a wide tissue distribution of CXC-R4 and CC-R7 message in trout, being present in head-kidney leukocytes, blood, gill, brain, spleen, and liver.

Structure and developmental expression of Ikaros in the Mexican axolotl.

The Ikaros family of transcription factors plays an essential role in hematopoiesis. We report here the structure of cDNA clones encoding two Ikaros isoforms, Ikl and Ik2, in the Mexican axolotl. The Ik1 cDNA sequence is very similar to that of the rainbow trout, chicken, and mammalian Ik1 sequences. However, a 96 base pair region which encodes the first N-terminal zing finger (F1) is lacking from axolotl Ik1, both in clones from a cDNA library and clones isolated from direct polymerase chain reaction products. A region corresponding to exon 3 is completely absent from the axolotl Ik2 sequence and thus the Ik1 and Ik2 isoforms possess the same number of zinc finger motifs. The structure of these five CC-HH motifs is very well conserved in the axolotl, including the structural deviations from its amino acid consensus composition which are identical in all species analyzed to date. The axolotl Ik1 3' untranslated region sequence is very long (2538 bp) and contains two UA-rich motifs known as instability determinants and which could play a role in mRNA translational efficiency. Ikaros transcripts are first detected in the ventral blood island of stage 36 embryos, about 24 h before the first heartbeats (late tailbud stage), and then in the major lymphopoietic organs of the developing larvae. In situ hybridization demonstrates that Ikaros transcripts are abundant at the periphery of the thymus lobes, in the presumptive site of early thymocyte differentiation.

Structure, diversity, and repertoire of VH families in the Mexican axolotl.

The Mexican axolotl V(H) segments associated with the Igh C mu and C nu isotypes were isolated from anchored PCR libraries prepared from spleen cell cDNA. The eight new V(H) segments found bring the number of V(H) families in the axolotl to 11. Each V(H) had the canonical structural features of vertebrate V(H) segments, including residues important for the correct folding of the Ig domain. The distribution of ser AGC/T (AGY) and TCN codons in axolotl V(H) genes was biased toward AGY in complementarity-determining region-1 (CDR1) and TCN in framework region-1 (FR1); there were no ser residues in the FR2 region. Thus, the axolotl CDR1 region is enriched in DNA sequences forming potential hypermutation hot spots and is flanked by DNA sequences more resistant to point mutation. There was no significant bias toward AGY in CDR2. Southern blotting using family-specific V(H) probes showed restriction fragments from 1 (V(H)9) to 11-19 (V(H)2), and the total number of V(H) genes was 44 to 70, depending on the restriction endonuclease used. The V(H) segments were not randomly used by the H mu and H nu chains; V(H)1, V(H)6, and V(H)11 were underutilized; and the majority of the V(H) segments belonged to the V(H)7, V(H)8, and V(H)9 families. Most of the nine J(H) segments seemed to be randomly used, except J(H)6 and J(H)9, which were found only once in 79 clones.

Wide tissue distribution of axolotl class II molecules occurs independently of thyroxin.

Unlike most salamanders, the Mexican axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) fails to produce enough thyroxin to undergo anatomical metamorphosis, although a "cryptic metamorphosis" involving a change from fetal to adult hemoglobins has been described. To understand to what extent the development of the axolotl hemopoietic system is linked to anatomical metamorphosis, we examined the appearance and thyroxin dependence of class II molecules on thymus, blood, and spleen cells, using both flow cytometry and biosynthetic labeling followed by immunoprecipitation. Class II molecules are present on B cells as early as 7 weeks after hatching, the first time analyzed. At this time, most thymocytes, all T cells, and all erythrocytes lack class II molecules, but first thymocytes at 17 weeks, then T cells at 22 weeks, and finally erythrocytes at 26-27 weeks virtually all bear class II molecules. Class II molecules and adult hemoglobin appear at roughly the same time in erythrocytes. These data are most easily explained by populations of class II-negative cells being replaced by populations of class II-positive cells, and they show that the hemopoietic system matures at a variety of times unrelated to the increase of thyroxin that drives anatomical metamorphosis. We found that administration of thyroxin during axolotl ontogeny does not accelerate or otherwise affect the acquisition of class II molecules, nor does administration of drugs that inhibit thyroxin (sodium perchlorate, thiourea, methimazole, and 1-methyl imidazole) retard or abolish this acquisition, suggesting that the programs for anatomical metamorphosis and some aspects of hemopoietic development are entirely separate.

T-cell receptors in ectothermic vertebrates.

The structure and expression of genes encoding molecules homologous to mammalian T-cell receptors (TCR) have been recently studied in ectothermic vertebrate species representative of chondrychthians, teleosts, and amphibians. The overall TCR chain structure is well conserved in phylogeny: TCR beta- and TCR alpha-like chains were detected in all the species analyzed; TCR gamma- and TCR delta-like chains were also present in a chondrychthian species. The diversity potential of the variable (V) and joining (J) segments is rather large and, as in mammals, conserved diversity (D) segments are associated to the TCR beta and TCR delta chains. An important level of junctional diversity occurred at the V-(D)-J junctions, with the potential addition of N- and P-nucleotides. Thus, the conservation of the structure and of the potential of diversity of TCR molecules have been under a permanent selective pressure during vertebrate evolution. The structure of MHC class I and class II molecules was also well conserved in jawed vertebrates. TCR and MHC molecules are strongly functionally linked and play a determinant role in the initiation and the regulation of the specific immune responses; thus, it is not surprising that their structures have been reciprocally frozen during evolution.

Structure and diversity of the heavy chain VDJ junctions in the developing Mexican axolotl.

The immune capacity of young and adult axolotls (Ambystoma mexicanum) was evaluated by examining the combinatorial and junctional diversity of the VH chain. A large number of VDJ rearrangements isolated from 2.5-, 3.5-, 10-, and 24-month-old animals were sequenced. Six JH segments were identified with the canonical structure of all known vertebrate JHs, including the conserved Trp103-Gly104-X-Gly106 motif. Four core DH-like sequences were used by most (80%) of the VDJ junctions. These G-rich sequences had structures reminiscent of the TCRB DB sequences, and were equally used in their three reading frames. About 25% of the Igh, VDJ junctions from 3.5-month-old axolotls were out of frame, but most rearrangements were in frame at 10 and 24 months, suggesting that there is active selection of the productively rearranged Igh chains in the developing animals. There was no significant difference between the size of CDR3 in young (3.5 months) and subadult (10 months) axolotls (mean: 8.5 amino acids). However, the CDR3 loop was 1 amino acid longer in 2-year-old adult animals (mean: 9.5 residues). Several pairs of identical VDJ/CDR3 sequences were shared between 3.5-month-old individually analyzed axolotls, or between groups of axolotl of different ages. These identical rearrangements might be provided by the selection of some B-cell clones important for species survival, although the probability that different 3.5-month-old axolotl larvae would produce identical junctions seems very low, considering their limited number of B cells (less than 10(5)). The high frequency of tyrosine residues and the paucity of charged residues in the axolotl CDR3 loops may explain the polyreactivity of natural antibodies, and also clarify why it is so difficult to raise specific antibodies against soluble antigens.

Genomic organization of the TcR beta-chain diversity (Dbeta) and joining (Jbeta) segments in the rainbow trout: presence of many repeated sequences.

This work describes a 5.5 kb genomic sequence of the rainbow trout T-cell receptor beta-chain locus. It includes, from 5' to 3', a Dbeta gene, 10 Jbeta genes and the 5'-end of the first Cbeta exon. The trout Dbeta-Jbeta-Cbeta locus is about the same size as the mouse, rat and human homologous loci, but it is less compact and contains 10 Jbeta segments instead of the 6-7 found in mammals. The trout Dbeta coding sequence is identical to those of the mouse, rat and human Dbeta, and the Dbeta recombination signal sequences (RSS) are also very well conserved. Each trout Jbeta segment is flanked in 5' by a 7-mer RSS, which matches with the canonical conserved 7-mer sequences of all RSS. However, 6 of the 10 Jbeta segments have no characteristic 9-mer RSS, although at least some of them are well expressed (Jbeta1 and Jbeta2). The Jbeta region of the trout TcRbeta locus contains numerous micro/minisatellite repeated DNA sequences; some of these repeats contain heptamer RSS-like sequences that could interfere with Jbeta expression. Knowledge of the germline boundaries of the trout Dbeta and Jbeta ends makes it possible to evaluate precisely the exonuclease activity and N-nucleotide addition at the Dbeta-Jbeta junctions of the rearranged TcRbeta chain genes. Many (40%) of the Dbeta-Jbeta junctions in the adult trout have no N-nucleotides, compared to 26.4% in adult mice, and 37% of the adult trout TcRbeta transcripts are out of frame. Thus, there may be major differences in the T-cell developmental kinetics and selection in fish and mammals.

The T cell receptor beta genes of Xenopus.

cDNA of the T cell receptor beta (TCRB) have been isolated from the anuran amphibian Xenopus and they show strong structural homology to TCRB sequences of other vertebrates. Ten BV families, two D segments, ten J segments, and a single C region have been defined so far. Each V family consists of one to two members per haploid genome. A unique feature of the Xenopus TCRB constant region is the lack of N-linked carbohydrate glycosylation sites. The recombination signal sequences suggest that the mechanism of rearrangements are identical to those of mammals. The locus is inherited in a diploid manner despite the pseudotetraploidy of the Xenopus laevis and X. gilli used in this study.

Structure and diversity of the T-cell receptor alpha chain in the Mexican axolotl.

Polymerase chain reaction was used to isolate cDNA clones encoding putative T-cell receptor (TCR) alpha chains in an amphibian, the Mexican axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum). Five TCRalpha-V chain-encoding segments were identified, each belonging to a separate family. The best identity scores for these axolotl TCRalpha-V segments were all provided by sequences belonging to the human TCRalpha-V1 family and the mouse TCRalpha-V3 and TCRalpha-V8 families. A total of 14 different TCRA-J segments were identified from 44 TCRA-V/TCRA-J regions sequenced, suggesting that a large repertoire of TCRA-J segments is a characteristic of most vertebrates. The structure of the axolotl CDR3 alpha chain loop is in good agreement with that of mammals, including a majority of small hydrophobic residues at position 92 and of charged, hydrophilic, or polar residues at positions 93 and 94, which are highly variable and correspond to the TCRA-V/J junction. This suggests that some positions of the axolotl CDR3 alpha chain loop are positively selected during T-cell differentiation, particularly around residue 93 that could be selected for its ability to makes contacts with major histocompatibility complex-associated antigenic peptides, as in mammals. The axolotl Calpha domain had the typical structure of mammalian and avian Calpha domains, including the charged residues in the TM segment that are thought to interact with other proteins in the membrane, as well as most of the residues forming the conserved antigen receptor transmembrane motif.

Structure and diversity of the TCR alpha-chain in a teleost fish.

T cell receptor beta-chain genes are well characterized in representatives of most vertebrate phyla, from sharks to mammals, but the molecular structure of complete TCR alpha-chains has not yet been established in cold-blooded vertebrates. We used a PCR approach to isolate cDNAs encoding putative teleost fish (Oncorhynchus mykiss, rainbow trout) TCR alpha-chains. Eight V alpha segments were identified, belonging to six different families, and the best amino acid sequence identity scores for these trout V alpha were all provided by mammalian V alpha or V delta sequences. Twenty-four (60.1 %) of the 39 analyzed V alpha segments belong to the V alpha 2 family, which has limited homology with mammalian V alpha/delta sequences and with the human V pre-B sequence. A total of 32 different J alpha segments were identified from 40 J alpha regions sequenced, suggesting that a large repertoire of J alpha segments is a characteristic of most vertebrates. The structural properties of the TCR alpha-chain complementarity-determining region 3 loop are well conserved between trout and mammals, suggesting that this region has been under continuous selective pressure in jawed vertebrate evolution. The trout C alpha segment has conserved N-terminal and transmembrane domains, but the C alpha intercysteine distance contains only 40 residues, significantly smaller as compared with mammals (49-56 residues). The conserved features of teleost fish TCR beta- and alpha-chains with their mammalian equivalents suggest that TCR-alpha beta receptors were still present in the common Devonian ancestors of modern teleost fish and mammals, about 450 million years ago.

Cloning of T-cell antigen receptor beta chain cDNAs from Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar).

Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) cDNAs encoding the T-cell antigen receptor beta chain (TCRB) were isolated from leukocyte RNA by reverse transcription - polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Twenty-five distinct cDNA fragments covering the variable (V) - diversity (D) - joining (J) junction and part of the constant (C) region were characterized; the sequences of which indicate interchangeable V/D/J usage and expression in the context of one TCRBC gene. Full-length TCRBC sequence information was derived from a leukocyte cDNA library. Key residues of the salmon TCRBC region are in good agreement with those of other species. One distinct exception is the absence of the hinge region cysteine residue which is involved in covalent bonding between the alpha and beta chain in mammalian TCRs. As in amphibian and avian species, the salmon TCRBC membrane proximal region is considerably shorter than the mammalian. An octamer sequence (GGACAGGG) very similar to amphibian, avian, and mammalian D sequences could be recognized in the VDJ junctions from salmon. The pattern of VDJ variability also indicates that mechanisms like trimming and addition occur in fish as in higher vertebrates. Compared with mammals, a relatively high frequency (32%) of the VDJ junctions in salmon were out of frame.

A second immunoglobulin light chain isotype in the rainbow trout.

A novel immunoglobulin (Ig) light chain isotype, termed IgL2, has been isolated from trout lymphoid tissues both by reverse transcription - polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and screening of cDNA libraries. The CL domain of the new isotype shares only 29% residues with a recently cloned trout IgL isotype, termed IgL1, which has some similarities to Ckappa and Clambda isotype domains of several vertebrate species. Using anchored PCR, a VL element rearranged to CL2 was isolated. It is a member of a new VL family (VL2) of which four members were sequenced. These differ in the sequence of CDR1 and CDR2 but are remarkably similar in CDR3, i. e., at the junction between VL and JL segments. VL elements are rearranged to novel JL elements which differ from those described for VL1-CL1 rearrangements. Two cDNA clones contained JL-CL2 segments but no VL segments. The JL segments were preceded by typical rearrangements signal sequences [RSS, nonamer-23 base pair (bp) spacer-heptamer]. Further upstream of RSS were located two to three near identical 53 bp repeats, each of which included a 16 bp sequence similar to KI and KII sequences located at similar places in human and mouse Jk1 genes. These sequences are believed to act as binding sites for the protein KLP, which could be a transcriptional factor involved in the synthesis of germline Jk transcripts. Their phylogenic conservation in vertebrates suggests that they have an important role in B-cell differentiation. Remarkably, an RNA species of about 0.7 kilobase is the predominant IgL mRNA in trout spleen and coincides in size with JLCL2 transcripts. Genomic DNA blot analysis indicates that the trout L2 locus has a cluster-like organization similar to the trout L1 locus and the IgL locus of several teleost fish. A phylogenic analysis of VL2 and CL2 corroborates their low similarity to other vertebrate IgL chains and suggests an ancient diversification of the IgL locus.

The structure, rearrangement, and ontogenic expression of DB and JB gene segments of the Mexican axolotl T-cell antigen receptor beta chain (TCRB).

We sequenced a total of 189 independent rearrangements in which the VB7.1 element is associated with CB1 (99 clones) or CB2 (90 clones) isotypes of the T-cell receptor (TCR) beta chain in the Mexican axolotl. Three stages of development were analyzed: 2.5 months, 10 months, and 25 months. Three JB1 segments were associated with the VB-CB1 rearrangements and six JB2 segments with VB-CB2. As in other vertebrates, some amino acid positions were conserved in all Jbetas (e. g., Phe-108, Gly-109, Gly-111, Thr-112, and Val-116). Two 11 nucleotides DB-like sequences, differed by one (A or T) central residue and could be productively read in the three putative reading frames. Most of the DB1 and JB1 segments were in the VB-CB1 clones, and most of the DB2 and JB2 segments were in the VB-CB2 clones, suggesting that the TCRB locus is organized into independent DB-JB-CB clusters that used the same collection of VB segments. About 40% of the beta-chain VDJ junctions in 2.5-month-old larvae had N nucleotides, compared with about 73% in 10 - 25-month old animals. The beta-chain VDJ junctions had about 30% of defective rearrangements at all stages of development, which could be due to the slow rate of cell division in the axolotl lymphoid organs, and the large genome in this urodele. Many of the axolotl CDRbeta3 sequences deduced for in frame VDJ rearrangements are the same in animals of different origins. Such redundancy could be a statistical effect due to the small number of thymocytes in the developing axolotl, rather than to some bias due to junctional preferences.

Identification of cDNA clones encoding HMG 2, a major protein of the mexican axolotl hydrocortisone-sensitive thymocytes.

We have identified and analyzed cDNA clones encoding a major 26 kDa protein of the HMG1-2 family which is abundant in the cytoplasm and nucleus of axolotl hydrocortisone-sensitive thymocytes. The axolotl HMG2 protein is very similar to proteins belonging to the HMG1-2 family, from teleost fish to mammals. All the molecular features of the HMG1-2 proteins are conserved, including the high proportion of basic and aromatic residues, and the characteristic acidic C-terminus tail. The 3'-untranslated region of the HMG2 axolotl cDNA is also similar to the avian and mammalian HMG2 3'-UT sequences, suggesting that some selective events have acted at the DNA level to conserve this region, which could be important in the differential expression of the HMG1 and HMG2 genes. The axolotl HMG2 protein contains the two well conserved HMG boxes which are thought to be the DNA-binding domains of the molecule. Axolotl thymocytes and spleen cells contain almost identical amounts of HMG2 mRNAs but HMG2 polypeptide is undetectable in spleen cells using anti-26 kDa antibodies. The reason for the accumulation of HMG1-2 molecules in vertebrate hydrocortisone-sensitive thymocytes is discussed, as well as their possible role in apoptosis.

Structure and diversity of the T cell antigen receptor beta-chain in a teleost fish.

Cell-mediated immunity (e.g., allograft rejection) is found in all vertebrates, and these reactions are known to depend on thymus-derived cells in amphibian, avian, and mammalian species. The participation of peripheral T cell-like lymphocytes subpopulations to fish immunity is now well documented, but the developmental origin, migration, and peripheral tissue distribution of these cells remain practically unknown. This is mainly due to the difficulty of efficiently thymectomizing fish at an early stage of development and to the lack of Ab strictly specific for thymocytes and T cell surface Ag. One strategy for analyzing T cell biology in fish would be to characterize the genes encoding polypeptides homologous to the TCR molecules. This report describes cDNA clones from the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) that have sequences very similar to amphibian, avian, and mammalian TCR beta-chains. Three complete trout V beta segments belonging to different families were analyzed; one of them had limited amino acid sequence similarity to the human V beta 20 family. The 10 trout beta-chain-joining segments all retain the invariant mammalian J beta residues, and comparison of 66 V beta-J beta junctions led to the identification of a D beta-like sequence (GGACAGGG) that is shorter than but very similar to the chicken D beta and mammalian D beta 1 sequences. There is considerable diversity at the V beta-D beta and D beta-J beta junctions, suggesting the presence of N-nucleotides. The trout C beta extracellular domain is shorter than mammalian C beta, and the hinge region has no cysteine residue. The transmembrane C beta domain contains a lysine residue that in mammals is thought to be involved in charged interactions with members of the CD3 complex.

Evolution of specific antigen recognition: size reduction and restricted length distribution of the CDRH3 regions in the rainbow trout.

The immunoglobulin heavy chain repertoire in fish was investigated by cloning a total of 88 rearranged VDJ junctions from the head kidney B cell mRNA of a salmonid, the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Trout DH segments are short and cannot be classified into independent DH families. Several of the ten identified putative DH segments had stretches of nucleotide sequence identity with mouse (DQ52, DFL 16.2 and Dsp 2.1), human (DM1) and chicken (DH4) DH. There was a clear preference for one or two of the three putative DH reading frames and a stop codon is often present in the less used reading frame. Four of the six JH segments are preferentially used, and analysis of the VH-DH and DH-JH junctions suggest the presence of N-nucleotides. The absolute size and size heterogeneity of the rainbow trout CDRH3 are smaller than those of the Xenopus, mouse and human CDRH3. About 75% of the 84 in-frame trout CDRH3 have 8, 9 or 10 residues and none of them have more than 11 residues. This homogeneization of the CDRH3 loop size may partly explain the restricted antibody diversity in lower vertebrates.