The Tritope Model for restrictive recognition of antigen by T-cells II. Implications for ontogeny, evolution and physiology.
Based on the Tritope Model of the TCR [Cohn, M., 2005c. The Tritope Model for restrictive recognition of antigen by T-cells. I. What assumptions about structure are needed to explain function? Mol. Immunol. 42, 1419-1443], a set of functional and evolutionary problems surrounding restrictive recognition of antigen are discussed. These include the origin of allele-specific recognition, the selection pressures for polygeneism and polymorphism, the TCR signaling interactions, the centrality of effector T-helper (eTh)-dependence for activation, the role of haplotype exclusion, "nonclassical" MHC-elements, alloreactivity versus xenoreactivity, etc. Further, a set of observations believed to support the Standard Model are reinterpreted.
Cohn
Melvin
M
Conceptual Immunology Group, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, 10010 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, United States. cohn@salk.edu
D000818:Animals; D017951:Antigen Presentation / Q000502:physiology*; D000941:Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D006801:Humans; D018448:Models, Immunological; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000502:physiology*
D000941:Antigens