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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2021.03.05.434088

TCRβ rearrangements without D-segment are common, abundant and public

de Greef, P. C.·de Boer, R. J.
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Abstract

T cells play an important role in adaptive immunity. An enormous clonal diversity of T-cells with a different specificity, encoded by the T-cell receptor (TCR), protect the body against infection. Most TCR{beta} chains are generated from a V-, D-, and J-segment during recombination in the thymus. Although complete absence of the D-segment is not easily detectable from sequencing data, we find convincing evidence for a substantial proportion of TCR{beta} rearrangements lacking a D-segment. Additionally, sequences without a D-segment are more likely to be abundant within individuals and/or shared between individuals. We find that such sequences are preferentially generated during fetal development and persist within the elderly. Summarizing, TCR{beta} rearrangements without a D-segment are not uncommon, and tend to allow for TCR{beta} chains with a high abundance in the naive repertoire.

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de Greef, P. C., de Boer, R. J.. 2021-03-07. TCRβ rearrangements without D-segment are common, abundant and public. https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.03.05.434088

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