title: The T-cell antigen receptor: a logical response to an unknown ligand.
abstract: The immune system can be roughly divided into innate and adaptive compartments. The adaptive compartment includes the B and T lymphocytes, whose antigen receptors are generated by recombination of gene segments. The consequence is that the creation of self-reactive lymphocytes is unavoidable. For the host to remain viable, the immune system has evolved a strategy for removing autoimmune lymphocytes during development. This review discusses how T lymphocytes are generated, how they recognize antigens, and how their antigen receptor directs the removal of self-reactive T cells.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Transplantation Immunology, Departments of Nephrology and Research, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland. Ed.Palmer@unibas.ch
authors.forename: Ed
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Palmer
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D007109:Immunity; D008024:Ligands; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000276:immunology*; D017634:Self Tolerance / Q000276:immunology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000276:immunology; D037182:T-Cell Antigen Receptor Specificity / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D008024:Ligands; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell