Document Detail


Functional development of the T cell receptor for antigen.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  20800817     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
For over three decades now, the T cell receptor (TCR) for antigen has not ceased to challenge the imaginations of cellular and molecular immunologists alike. T cell antigen recognition transcends every aspect of adaptive immunity: it shapes the T cell repertoire in the thymus and directs T cell-mediated effector functions in the periphery, where it is also central to the induction of peripheral tolerance. Yet, despite its central position, there remain many questions unresolved: how can one TCR be specific for one particular peptide-major histocompatibility complex (pMHC) ligand while also binding other pMHC ligands with an immunologically relevant affinity? And how can a T cell's extreme specificity (alterations of single methyl groups in their ligand can abrogate a response) and sensitivity (single agonist ligands on a cell surface are sufficient to trigger a measurable response) emerge from TCR-ligand interactions that are so low in affinity? Solving these questions is intimately tied to a fundamental understanding of molecular recognition dynamics within the many different contexts of various T cell-antigen presenting cell (APC) contacts: from the thymic APCs that shape the TCR repertoire and guide functional differentiation of developing T cells to the peripheral APCs that support homeostasis and provoke antigen responses in naïve, effector, memory, and regulatory T cells. Here, we discuss our recent findings relating to T cell antigen recognition and how this leads to the thymic development of foreign-antigen-responsive alphabetaT cells.
Authors:
Peter J R Ebert; Qi-Jing Li; Johannes B Huppa; Mark M Davis
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Progress in molecular biology and translational science     Volume:  92     ISSN:  1877-1173     ISO Abbreviation:  Prog Mol Biol Transl Sci     Publication Date:  2010  
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2010-08-30     Completed Date:  2010-10-19     Revised Date:  2011-06-15    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  101498165     Medline TA:  Prog Mol Biol Transl Sci     Country:  Netherlands    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  65-100     Citation Subset:  IM    
Copyright Information:
Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Affiliation:
The Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA.
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Amino Acid Sequence
Animals
Antigen-Presenting Cells / immunology*
Humans
Molecular Sequence Data
Peptide Fragments / immunology*
Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / immunology*
Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
T-Lymphocytes / immunology*
Thymus Gland / immunology*
Chemical
Reg. No./Substance:
0/Peptide Fragments; 0/Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell

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