Deletion with 25 nucleotides of TCRζ gene in T cells from a case with chronic myeloid leukemia

TCRζ is a transmembrane protein, a component of the T cell receptor (TCR)/CD3 complex, and plays a crucial role in T cell activation (1,2). Previous studies showed that T cell immunodeficiency might be related to decreased expression of TCRζ . The alternatively spliced isoforms of TCRζ 3' untranslated region (3' UTR) in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) was related to change of T cell activation gene expression pattern, and may be as a novel immunological marker for the evaluation of the CML immune status (3). Recently, we found that polymorphisms/mutations in the TCR ζ 3' UTR can regulate the expression level of TCR ζ (unpublished data). However, little is known the genetic alteration of TCRζ 3' UTR in T cells from patients with CML who showed T cell immunodeficiency.