Determinants of public T cell responses.
Historically, sharing T cell receptors (TCRs) between individuals has been speculated to be impossible, considering the dramatic discrepancy between the potential enormity of the TCR repertoire and the limited number of T cells generated in each individual. However, public T cell response, in which multiple individuals share identical TCRs in responding to a same antigenic epitope, has been extensively observed in a variety of immune responses across many species. Public T cell responses enable individuals within a population to generate similar antigen-specific TCRs against certain ubiquitous pathogens, leading to favorable biological outcomes. However, the relatively concentrated feature of TCR repertoire may limit T cell response in a population to some other pathogens. It could be a great benefit for human health if public T cell responses can be manipulated. Therefore, the mechanistic insight of public TCR generation is important to know. Recently, high-throughput DNA sequencing has revolutionized the study of immune receptor repertoires, which allows a much better understanding of the factors that determine the overlap of TCR repertoire among individuals. Here, we summarize the current knowledge on public T-cell response and discuss future challenges in this field.
State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology and School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China.
Hanjie
H
Li
Congting
C
Ye
Guoli
G
Ji
Jiahuai
J
Han
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D008285:Major Histocompatibility Complex; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D060168:Thymocytes / Q000276:immunology; D060152:V(D)J Recombination
D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell