title: T cell receptor specificity for major histocompatibility complex proteins.
abstract: The ligands for alpha beta T cell receptors (alphabetaTCRs) are usually major histocompatibility complex (MHC) proteins bound to peptides. Although there is evidence that T cell receptor variable regions have been selected evolutionarily to bind MHC, the rules governing this interaction have not previously been apparent. However, recent solved structures of T cell receptors with related variable regions bound to MHC plus peptides suggest that some amino acids in variable region CDR1 and CDR2s almost always react in a consistent way with MHC. These amino acids may therefore have been selected evolutionarily to predispose T cell receptors toward recognition of MHC ligands.
authors.affiliation: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, National Jewish Medical and Research Center, Denver, Colorado 80206, USA. marrackp@njc.org
authors.forename: Philippa
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Marrack
authors.forename: Kira
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rubtsova
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Scott-Browne
authors.forename: John W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Kappler
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015551:Autoimmunity; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D006649:Histocompatibility Antigens / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D011485:Protein Binding; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D006649:Histocompatibility Antigens; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta