title: Anti-metatype antibody reactivity: a model for T-cell receptor recognition.
abstract: Anti-metatype (Met) antibodies are anti-immunoglobulins that specifically recognize an antibody-liganded active site but lack specificity for either the ligand or the idiotype. As proposed here by Edward Voss, anti-metatype-metatype immunoglobulin interactions may serve as a model for the interaction of the T-cell receptor (TCR) with antigen-MHC (class I/class II) complexes: the anti-metatype immunoglobulin reagent simulates the TCR and the liganded antibody mimics the antigen-MHC complex. Such a model addresses the dilemma of two macromolecules interacting with the same antigenic determinant and may represent a rational approach to improve understanding of the initiation and regulation of the immune response.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Microbiology, University of Illinois, Urbana 61801.
authors.forename: E W
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Voss
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic / Q000276:immunology*; D006649:Histocompatibility Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D008954:Models, Biological; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic; D006649:Histocompatibility Antigens; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell