Quantitative aspects of T-cell recognition: from within the antigen-presenting cell to within the T cell.
T lymphocytes circulate continually throughout the peripheral lymphoid organs, where they scrutinize the surface of cells to detect the presence of nonself protein fragments. During the last years, many facets of T-cell function have been unravelled. After being bound by major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules, peptides derived from nonself as well as from self proteins are delivered to the cell surface. A few copies of a nonself peptide "presented" at the cell surface in the context of an MHC molecule can be detected by specific T cells, and suffice to trigger T-cell activation. This paper reviews the requirements imposed on T cells to fulfill this exquisite sensitivity.
Bongrand
P
P
INSERM Laboratoire d'Immunologie, Hôpital de Sainte-Marguerite, Marseille, France. bernardm@ciml.univ-mrs.fr
Malissen
B
B
D000938:Antigen-Presenting Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D015536:Down-Regulation / Q000502:physiology; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / Q000276:immunology; D008285:Major Histocompatibility Complex / Q000276:immunology; D010455:Peptides / Q000276:immunology; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000502:physiology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000276:immunology
D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I; D010455:Peptides; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell; D014764:Viral Proteins