The observation that sonw TCR (kp cells in the thvmus express a cancwical TCR VP repertoire i1. a~ the first step Icading to the identification of a nc! v familv of T cells’’(Table 2). NKl. l TCRty@ cells use; 1 prcfcrcntial stxt of V (3 g: cnt’s, niainlv VPS (Lvliicli cm represent up to 3)’; of i’p UScl~: c),\'f32 ‘llld\'pli (Refs 1, 3, s, 9, I 1, 13, 23, 39). hntz and Bcndtlhc “alsc~ found tht most frcshl~ isolated NKl. l T cells, ds~ vcll; 1s h~ brid~ mas deri\. cd tnml XKl. IT ctG, ckprcss mRNA for dn in\., mlnt (t chin, i’tr I4-J2Sl. This suggested ‘1 link Pehvccn SKI. IT cells~ ncl prt~\iousl\~ dtlscribcd subsets of pwiplwral T cells that e\prtlss mRNA for this in\. ariant Val4 chain”“. Hmvc\xlr, tlic TCR C’l3 rtlpcrtoirc of NK I. I T cells ivas malV/ed\vitli n~ on~~ clrmal aiitihodics,~ vliilt~ cxprcssion of Vryl4 l\‘ds an ‘llv/t’d &It htl nll~ YXA lt~\. t~ l bcc; lusc of the lath of appropriate reagents. Rectmtl~; Yhkino (‘I 1.~: an~~ l\~/t~ d hot11 tlw transcription of the im. ariant Vryl4 chain h>. polvn~ crllw chain rtaaction and its surfact t'spIVssiol1; tht! v dtwicwstratcd tht d lnrsc traction of NKl, I

T cells express Vu14 at the cell surface, hit at pi mucli lower freqwncy than the expression of Vb1-l niRSA. Moreo~~ cr, all NK1. l-Vtyll cells elprcss onI>, L’tyl4 mRNA,\\. llilc NKI. 1. Vtrl4 cells express Vcyl4 and other Vu mRNA (Ref. 43). In addition, tht corresponding subset of human T cells described as expressing an in\wiant VU chain (Vry24JtuQP” nlay also csprcss a second VU chain-” It is clear that the conditions for c~ pression of the iimrariant.. Vcxl4 chain by NKl. l T cells rquire further vlucidatinn.