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Related Concept Videos

T Cell Activation and Clonal Selection01:22

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...
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Cytotoxic T Cells-mediated Immune Response

Cytotoxic T cells are a vital component of the immune system. They have the remarkable ability to identify and target antigens on infected or abnormal cells. These antigens often originate from intracellular pathogens such as viruses or abnormal proteins cancer cells produce.
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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.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 23, 2026

Peptide:MHC Tetramer-based Enrichment of Epitope-specific T cells
13:58

Peptide:MHC Tetramer-based Enrichment of Epitope-specific T cells

Published on: October 22, 2012

Tracking epitope-specific T cells.

James J Moon1, H Hamlet Chu, Jason Hataye

  • 1Department of Microbiology and Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA.

Nature Protocols
|April 18, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This study details a method for tracking antigen-specific T cells using T-cell receptor specificity. Researchers can now detect small populations of T cells in mice efficiently.

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Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Tracking antigen-specific T cells is crucial for understanding adaptive immunity.
  • Current methods often rely on indirect functional assessments.
  • A direct method based on T-cell receptor (TCR) specificity is needed.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe a protocol for tracking T cells based on their specific T-cell receptor (TCR) recognition of peptide-major histocompatibility complex (pMHC) epitopes.
  • To enable direct detection of antigen-specific T cells, bypassing functional assays.
  • To establish a sensitive and efficient method for T cell tracking in vivo.

Main Methods:

  • Adoptive transfer of TCR transgenic T cells with defined epitope specificity into histocompatible mice.
  • Detection of transferred cells using congenic or clonotypic markers.
  • Direct tracking of endogenous epitope-specific T cells via peptide-major histocompatibility complex (pMHC) tetramers.
  • Magnetic bead-based enrichment and multiparameter flow cytometry for sensitive detection.

Main Results:

  • Detection of T cell populations as small as five epitope-specific T cells from peripheral lymphoid organs.
  • Successful tracking of T cells based solely on TCR specificity.
  • Efficient detection of antigen-specific T cells using pMHC tetramers and flow cytometry.

Conclusions:

  • The described protocol provides a robust method for tracking antigen-specific T cells in vivo.
  • This approach enhances the study of adaptive immune responses by allowing direct monitoring of T cells.
  • The method is sensitive, efficient, and applicable to both transferred and endogenous T cells.