title: T cell receptor signaling kinetics takes the stage.
abstract: It has been long surmised that the strength of stimulation of the T cell receptor (TCR) determines the robustness of TCR-mediated signaling and the magnitude of a T cell response. However, it is becoming evident that the signal from the TCR develops over time to approach its steady-state, affinity-determined maximal extent and that variations in this time have a substantial effect on the responsiveness of T cells. Here, I discuss data that show that the kinetics of signal propagation in various segments of the TCR signaling network can influence the spatiotemporal regulation of the effector functions of T cells and the quality of the T cell response.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology and Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA. ysykulev@lac.jci.tju.edu
authors.forename: Yuri
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sykulev
mesh_terms: D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular / Q000276:immunology*; D007700:Kinetics; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell