Junctional region of the myelin basic protein-specific T cell receptor β chain in mice

Evidence for the existence of both conserved and diverse amino acid sequences in the Junctional regions of the myelin basic protein (MBP)-specific T cell receptors (TCR) in mice is presented. The Junctional region of the Nacl-11 MBP peptide-specific, H-2^u-restricted TCR β-chains is characterized by the utilization of similar amino acid sequences. In contrast, diverse Junctional sequences within the TCR β-chains of the p89-101 MBP peptide and H-2^s-restricted T cell clones are reported. These findings demonstrate that a limited heterogeneity of the MBP-specific T cell clones does exist. However, it may not be universal even in inbred mouse strains.