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Vaccinations

Vaccinations

T Cell Activation and Clonal Selection

T Cell Activation and Clonal Selection

T cells are integral to our adaptive immune system, recognizing and effectively responding to foreign antigens. T cell activation and clonal selection are pivotal in orchestrating this immune response. This article elucidates these mechanisms, detailing the roles of cluster of differentiation (CD) markers, major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules, costimulatory signals, and the process of clonal selection.
Naive T cells that have not yet encountered an antigen express two primary CD...

Tumor Immunotherapy

Tumor Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is a treatment that boosts or manipulates the immune system to fight diseases, including cancer. For instance, by stimulating an immune response through vaccinations against viruses that cause cancers, like hepatitis B virus and human papillomavirus, these diseases can be prevented. Nonetheless, some cancer cells can avoid the immune system due to their rapid mutation and division. The immune response to many cancers involves three phases: elimination, equilibrium, and escape.

Diversity of Antigen Receptors

Diversity of Antigen Receptors

Antigen receptors are essential components of the immune system crucial in defending the body against foreign invaders. These receptors are present on the surface of B and T cells, enabling them to recognize antigens and mount an appropriate immune response.
Before encountering any antigen, lymphocytes express these receptors. On B cells, the antigen receptor is a membrane-bound antibody molecule called BCR; on T cells, it is a T cell receptor or TCR. B and T cell receptors are composed of two...

Cell-mediated Immune Responses

Cell-mediated Immune Responses

Vaccines

Vaccines

Vaccines are among the most effective tools in preventive medicine, designed to prepare the immune system to recognize and combat infectious agents. By introducing antigens—substances that the immune system identifies as foreign—vaccines stimulate an adaptive immune response that leads to immunological memory. This immunological memory enables the body to mount a faster and more effective response upon future exposures to the actual pathogen.Vaccines can be categorized based on the type of...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 5, 2026

Rapid In Vivo Assessment of Adjuvant's Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes Generation Capabilities for Vaccine Development

Rapid In Vivo Assessment of Adjuvant's Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes Generation Capabilities for Vaccine Development

Published on: June 19, 2018

Vaccine adjuvants alter TCR-based selection thresholds.

Laurent Malherbe¹, Linda Mark, Nicolas Fazilleau

¹Department of Immunology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.

|May 3, 2008

Summary

Vaccine adjuvants, not requiring Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists, can induce T cell receptor (TCR) clonal dominance. Adjuvants using TLR agonists increase TCR selection thresholds, impacting helper T (Th) cell responses and vaccine design.

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Simultaneous Quantification of Anti-vector and Anti-transgene-Specific CD8+ T Cells Via MHC I Tetramer Staining After Vaccination with a Viral Vector

Simultaneous Quantification of Anti-vector and Anti-transgene-Specific CD8⁺ T Cells Via MHC I Tetramer Staining After Vaccination with a Viral Vector

Published on: November 28, 2018

Area of Science:

Immunology
Vaccinology
Molecular Biology

Background:

T cell receptor (TCR) specificity is crucial for helper T (Th) cell function post-vaccination.
Current models often emphasize TCR affinity thresholds for clonal selection in Th cells.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how vaccine adjuvants influence T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire usage and clonal expansion in vivo.
To determine the role of Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists in adjuvant-mediated modulation of Th cell responses.

Main Methods:

Analysis of TCR repertoire usage in antigen-specific Th cell responses.
Comparison of depot-forming versus readily dispersible vaccine adjuvants.
Assessment of adjuvant effects with and without TLR agonists (TLR-9 and TLR-4).

Main Results:

Depot-forming adjuvants induced clonal dominance without TLR agonists.
Dispersible adjuvants with TLR agonists increased TCR selection thresholds and clonal expansion.
Adjuvants controlled local Th cell accumulation based on peptide-MHC class II binding.
Clonal composition changes occurred independently of antigen dose and interclonal competition.

Conclusions:

Vaccine adjuvants significantly modulate antigen-specific Th cell clonal composition.
Adjuvant properties, including TLR agonist use, dictate TCR repertoire skewing.
These findings have critical implications for designing effective protein subunit vaccines.