The role of T-cell receptor dimerization in T-cell activation

Abstract

T-cell specificity is encoded in single T-cell receptors (TCRs) but monovalent interactions with peptide bound to the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) may not sufficiently account for the complexities associated with T-cell activation. This review proposes that TCRs undergo dimerization before activation and that this property might be essential for both T-cell antagonism and T-cell specificity, and may be pivotal for T-cell survival versus T-cell activation.