title: Modern concepts in immune recognition and lymphocyte activation. Relevance for the development of useful vaccines.
abstract: Adaptive immunity requires both specific recognition of an antigen and its translation into appropriate lymphocyte responses. This paper reviews the striking differences in B- and T-lymphocyte antigen recognition, details the pathways for conversion of protein antigens into peptide-major histocompatibility complex molecule ligands for T-cell receptors, and summarizes the roles of costimulatory signals in lymphocyte activation. This information is used to suggest new approaches for the rational design of vaccines.
authors.forename: R N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Germain
mesh_terms: D017951:Antigen Presentation / Q000276:immunology*; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D015195:Drug Design; D004341:Drug Evaluation; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular / Q000276:immunology*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000276:immunology*; D008285:Major Histocompatibility Complex / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D014612:Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D014612:Vaccines