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Updated: Aug 30, 2026

Visualizing Surface T-Cell Receptor Dynamics Four-Dimensionally Using Lattice Light-Sheet Microscopy
Published on: January 30, 2020
Dynamics of cell surface molecules during T cell recognition
Mark M Davis1, Michelle Krogsgaard, Johannes B Huppa
1Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-5323, USA. mdavis@cmgm.stanford.edu
Abstract:
Recognition of foreign antigens by T lymphocytes is a very important component of vertebrate immunity-vital to the clearance of pathogenic organisms and particular viruses and necessary, indirectly, for the production of high affinity antibodies. T cell recognition is mediated by the systematic scanning of cell surfaces by T cells, which collectively express many antigen receptors. When the appropriate antigenic peptide bound to a molecule of the major histocompatibility complex is found-even in minute quantities-a series of elaborate cell-surface molecule and internal rearrangements take place. The sequence of events and the development of techniques required to observe these events have significantly enhanced our understanding of T cell recognition and may find application in other systems of transient cell:cell interactions as well.
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