Genes for beta chain of human T-cell antigen receptor map to regions of chromosomal rearrangement in T cells.

The T-cell antigen receptor is a cell-surface molecule that participates in the immune response. In the present experiments the genes encoding the beta chain of the T-cell receptor were found to reside on the long arm of human chromosome 7 at or near band q32. Related sequences were found on the short arm of chromosome 7 in bands p15-21 in some experiments. Chromosomal rearrangements in T-cells from normal individuals and patients with ataxia telangiectasia have previously been observed at and near these map assignments for the beta-chain genes.