title: T-cell activation: the power of one.
abstract: Adaptive immunity depends on antigen-specific activation of resting lymphocytes. Using high-resolution live-cell imaging, a single ligand has been found to trigger a biochemical response in T cells. On the basis of this and other recent findings, a 'pseudodimer' with one foreign- and one self-antigen-engaged receptor linked via a CD4 molecule has been proposed as the fundamental unit of effective T-cell signaling.
authors.affiliation: Lymphocyte Biology Section, Laboratory of Immunology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bldg 10, Rm 11N311, 10 Center Drive MSC-1892, Bethesda, MD 20892-1892, USA. rgermain@nih.gov
authors.forename: Ronald N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Germain
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D006801:Humans; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell