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Review
. 2006 May;241(1):1-6.
doi: 10.1016/j.cellimm.2006.07.010. Epub 2006 Sep 11.

Does the signal for the activation of T cells originate from the antigen-presenting cell or the effector T-helper?

Melvin Cohn  1
Affiliations
Review

Does the signal for the activation of T cells originate from the antigen-presenting cell or the effector T-helper?

Melvin Cohn. Cell Immunol. 2006 May.

Abstract

The present view is that the antigen-presenting cell (APC) processes and presents simultaneously on its surface several different antigens that are displayed randomly (with respect to their being Self or Nonself) as peptide-MHC complexes. The naive T-cell interacting with its ligand on the APC is activated by "co-stimulation," the first step on the pathway to effectors. This view ignores the requirement for associative recognition of antigen (ARA) in mediating both the Self-Nonself discrimination and the regulation of effector class. The introduction of ARA as a requirement for these two decision functions highlights a critical role for the effector T-helper (eTh) and necessitates rethinking the contribution of the APC.

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References

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