Immunosurveillance and immunoregulation by gammadelta T cells.
Whereas the vast majority of T cells express a T-cell receptor (TCR) composed of alphabeta heterodimers, a smaller population expresses a gammadelta TCR. In contrast to alphabeta T cells, gammadelta T cells show less TCR diversity, are particularly enriched at epithelial surfaces and appear to respond to self-molecules that signal potential danger or cellular stress. In addition, various subsets of gammadelta T cells have shown antitumor and immunoregulatory activities. This review considers what has been discovered about the important cutaneous functions of gammadelta T cells through the study of mutant mice and offers perspectives on the roles of gammadelta T cells in human disease.
Girardi
Michael
M
Department of Dermatology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA. michael.girardi@yale.edu
D000818:Animals; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000276:immunology; D004817:Epidermis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D007157:Immunologic Surveillance / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology*; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta / Q000032:analysis*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta