Deconstructing the form and function of the TCR/CD3 complex.
When T cells encounter antigens via the T cell antigen receptor (TCR), information about the quantity and quality of antigen engagement is relayed to the intracellular signal transduction machinery. This process is poorly understood. The TCR itself lacks a significant intracellular domain. Instead, it is associated with CD3 molecules that contain intracellular signaling domains that couple the TCR/CD3 complex to the downstream signaling machinery. The earliest events in TCR signaling must involve the transfer of information from the antigen binding TCR subunit to the CD3 signaling subunits of the TCR/CD3 complex. Elucidating the structural organization of the TCR with the associated CD3 signaling molecules is necessary for understanding the mechanism by which TCR engagement is coupled to activation. Here, we review the current state of our understanding of the structure and organization of the TCR/CD3 complex.
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
Michael S
MS
Kuhns
Mark M
MM
Davis
K Christopher
KC
Garcia
D000818:Animals; D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte / Q000737:chemistry*; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008958:Models, Molecular; D011487:Protein Conformation; D020239:Receptor Cross-Talk; D017260:Receptor-CD3 Complex, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000502:physiology*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology
D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte; D017260:Receptor-CD3 Complex, Antigen, T-Cell