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Review
. 2018 Apr 27:9:929.
doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.00929. eCollection 2018.

Molecular Determinants of Target Cell Recognition by Human γδ T Cells

André E Simões  1 , Biagio Di Lorenzo  1   2 , Bruno Silva-Santos  1
Affiliations
Review

Molecular Determinants of Target Cell Recognition by Human γδ T Cells

André E Simões et al. Front Immunol. .

Abstract

The unique capabilities of gamma-delta (γδ) T cells to recognize cells under stressed conditions, particularly infected or transformed cells, and killing them or regulating the immune response against them, paved the way to the development of promising therapeutic strategies for cancer and infectious diseases. From a mechanistic standpoint, numerous studies have unveiled a remarkable flexibility of γδ T cells in employing their T cell receptor and/or NK cell receptors for target cell recognition, even if the relevant ligands often remain uncertain. Here, we review the accumulated knowledge on the diverse mechanisms of target cell recognition by γδ T cells, focusing on human γδ T cells, to provide an integrated perspective of their therapeutic potential in cancer and infectious diseases.

Keywords: NK cell receptor; NKG2D; T cell receptor; gamma-delta T cell; tumor immunology.

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