Presentation of non-peptide antigens, in particular drugs, to specific T cells.
Drugs are non-peptide antigens that can be recognized by specific T cells. It has been thought for many years that small molecular compounds can only be stimulating for T cells after covalent binding to MHC-embedded peptides. As most drug-specific T cell clones can react to glutaraldehyde fixed antigen presenting cells (APC), recognition of drugs by specific T cells does not require prior uptake and processing of haptenated proteins by APC. In fact, activated T cell clones can recognize drugs associated with the MHC-peptide complex in a non-covalent way. Such a binding is reminiscent of superantigen stimulations of T cells.
Institute of Immunology and Allergology, Inselspital, Bern, Switzerland.
S
S
von Greyerz
M
M
Zanni
B
B
Schnyder
W J
WJ
Pichler
D017951:Antigen Presentation; D000941:Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D004342:Drug Hypersensitivity / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
D000941:Antigens; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations