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Immunoglobulin gene expression is a normal differentiation event in embryonic thymocytes
Author(s) -
Gallagher Pauline F.,
Miller Jacques F. A. P.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
european journal of immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.272
H-Index - 201
eISSN - 1521-4141
pISSN - 0014-2980
DOI - 10.1002/eji.1830180128
Subject(s) - biology , embryonic stem cell , gene , antibody , gene expression , immunoglobulin gene , microbiology and biotechnology , genetics , immunology
Abstract By in situ hybridization to frozen sections of mouse embryos, we have localized cells transcribing the Ig C μ , gene during ontogeny. Transcripts were detected from before day 14 of gestation in individual pre‐B cells in the liver and, surprisingly, in a large proportion of thymocytes between days 15 and 18. The level of μ RNA sequences in the thymus at day 17 was much higher than has been observed for adult thymocytes; from grain counts, the amount of μ RNA was similar to that observed for Ti γ RNA. These findings suggest that Ig and Ti genes are under similar transcriptional controls during Ti gene recombination and that elevated μ RNA production is a normal event early in the intrathymic differentiation of T cells.