A hypothesis accounting for the paradoxical expression of the D gene segmentin the BCR and the TCR

Abstract

The D gene segment expressed in both the TCR and the BCR has a challenging behavior that begs interpretation. It is incorporated in three reading frames in the rearranged transcription unit but is expressed in antigen‐selected cells in a preferred frame. Why was it so important to waste 2/3 of newborn cells? The hypothesis is presented that the D region is framework playing a role in both the TCR and the BCR by determining whether a signal is transmitted to the cell upon interaction with a cognate ligand. This assumption operates in determining haplotype exclusion for the BCR and in regulating the signaling orientation for the TCR. Relevant data as well as a definitive experiment challenging the validity of this hypothesis, are discussed.