title: Gammadelta T cells: innately adaptive immune cells?
abstract: T cells employ a cell surface heterodimeric molecule, the T cell receptor (TCR), to recognize specific antigens (Ags) presented by major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules and carry out adaptive immune responses. Most T cells possess a TCR with an α and a β chain. However, a TCR constituted by a γ and a δ chain has been described, defining a novel subset of T cells. γδ TCRs specific for a wide variety of ligands, including bacterial phosphoantigens, nonclassical MHC-I molecules and unprocessed proteins, have been found, greatly expanding the horizons of T cell immune recognition. This review aims to provide background in γδ T cell history and function in mouse and man, as well as to provide a critical view of some of the latest developments on this still enigmatic class of immune cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. leonardoferreira@fas.harvard.edu
authors.forename: Leonardo M R
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Ferreira
mesh_terms: D056704:Adaptive Immunity; D000818:Animals; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D056747:Immunomodulation; D051379:Mice; D009928:Organ Specificity; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000276:immunology; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta / Q000378:metabolism*; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta