T-cell receptor

Abstract

The T-cell antigen receptor complex (TCR/CD3) is a cell surface structure that defines the T lymphocyte lineage, where it fulfills two basic functions, namely antigen recognition and triggering of signals needed to mount adequate responses to foreign aggression and/or to undergo differentiation. Knowing the precise structure of the complex in terms of its components and their relative arrangement and interactions before and after antigen recognition is essential to understand how ligand binding transforms into functionally relevant T-cell responses. These include not only full responses to foreign peptide antigens by mature T-cells, but also other phenomena like modulation ofT-cell activation with altered peptide ligands, positive and negative selection ofthymocytes, alloreactivity and autoimmune reactions. A wealth of new data has accumulated in recent years on the structure of TCR/antigen complexes and CD3 polypeptides and on the stoichiometry of the TCR/CD3 complex and intersubunit interactions. In this review, we discuss how these data fit into a meaningful model of the TCR/CD3 function.