title: Antigen decoding by T lymphocytes: from synapses to fate determination.
abstract: Naïve T lymphocytes sense foreign antigens by establishing contacts with dendritic cells (DCs). At the immunological synapse between the T cell and a DC, T cell receptors (TCRs) are serially engaged and triggered by specific ligands. The amount and duration of TCR triggering and the efficiency of signal amplification determine T cell commitment to proliferation and differentiation. The nature and availability of DCs bearing antigen and costimulatory molecules shape the T cell response, giving rise to distinct functional outputs such as effector and memory T cell generation or T cell tolerance.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Research in Biomedicine, Via Vincenzo Vela 6, CH-6500 Bellinzona, Switzerland. lanzavecchia@irb.unisi.ch
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lanzavecchia
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sallusto
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017951:Antigen Presentation; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000276:immunology; D015536:Down-Regulation; D006801:Humans; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013569:Synapses / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell