title: The role of T-cell receptor dimerization in T-cell activation.
abstract: T-cell specificity is encoded in single T-cell receptors (TCRs) but monovalent interactions with peptide bound to the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) may not sufficiently account for the complexities associated with T-cell activation. This review proposes that TCRs undergo dimerization before activation and that this property might be essential for both T-cell antagonism and T-cell specificity, and may be pivotal for T-cell survival versus T-cell activation.
authors.affiliation: Basel Institute for Immunology, Grenzacherstr. 487, 4005 Basel, Switzerland. bachmann@bii.ch
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Bachmann
authors.forename: P S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Ohashi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019281:Dimerization; D004705:Endocytosis; D008024:Ligands; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000276:immunology*; D018448:Models, Immunological; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000276:immunology; D051381:Rats; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000276:immunology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D008024:Ligands; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell