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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...
Cells of the Adaptive Immune Response01:23

Cells of the Adaptive Immune Response

The T and B lymphocytes of the adaptive immune system develop from common lymphoid progenitor cells in the bone marrow. These progenitors give rise to precursors that eventually develop into both T and B lymphocytes. As these precursors mature, they gain the ability to detect and respond to foreign antigens in the body, a process known as immunocompetence. Additionally, these precursors acquire self-tolerance, a process that ensures they do not react to self-antigens. This intricate system...
Immunological Memory01:23

Immunological Memory

Immunological memory, a pivotal pillar of the adaptive immune system, is responsible for the body's ability to remember and respond more swiftly and effectively to previously encountered pathogens. This remarkable feature is what makes vaccines so effective in preventing diseases.
What is Immunological Memory?
Immunological memory is an integral function of the immune system that allows it to recognize and react more rapidly and effectively to pathogens previously encountered. This feature is...
T Cell Types and Functions01:24

T Cell Types and Functions

When T cells with CD4 markers are activated, they give rise to two types of effector cells: helper T cells and regulatory T cells. Meanwhile, T cells with CD8 markers differentiate into effector cytotoxic T cells. The differentiation of CD4 T cells into helper T cell subsets, such as Th1, Th2, and Th17 cells, is dependent on the antigen type, antigen-presenting cell, and regulatory cytokines.
Th1 cells stimulate dendritic cells to express necessary co-stimulatory molecules on their surfaces for...
Inheritance of Chromatin Structures03:17

Inheritance of Chromatin Structures

Epigenetics is the study of inherited changes in a cell's phenotype without changing the DNA sequences. It provides a form of memory for the differential gene expression pattern to maintain cell lineage, position-effect variegation, dosage compensation, and maintenance of chromatin structures such as telomeres and centromeres. For example, the structure and location of the centromere on chromosomes are epigenetically inherited. Its functionality is not dictated or ensured by the underlying DNA...
Maintenance of the ES Cell State01:14

Maintenance of the ES Cell State

The cells of the blastocyst inner cell mass only remain pluripotent for a short time. This state of pluripotency and self-renewal can be maintained in embryonic stem (ES) cell culture by adding specific chemicals or growth factors to ensure the cells can continue dividing and later differentiate into different cell types. In some cases, the cells are grown on a feeder layer of differentiated cells, which provides the growth factors and extracellular matrix components necessary for stem cell...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 30, 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

T-cell identity and epigenetic memory.

Ellen V Rothenberg1, Jingli A Zhang

  • 1California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA. evroth@its.caltech.edu

Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology
|August 12, 2011
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

T-cell development involves stable gene expression and flexible differentiation. Epigenetic marks dynamically regulate gene access, challenging simple lineage exclusion models for T-cell identity.

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Determination of Immune Cell Identity and Purity Using Epigenetic-Based Quantitative PCR
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Determination of Immune Cell Identity and Purity Using Epigenetic-Based Quantitative PCR

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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 30, 2026

Peptide:MHC Tetramer-based Enrichment of Epitope-specific T cells
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Published on: October 22, 2012

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Determination of Immune Cell Identity and Purity Using Epigenetic-Based Quantitative PCR
08:02

Determination of Immune Cell Identity and Purity Using Epigenetic-Based Quantitative PCR

Published on: February 19, 2020

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Epigenetics
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • T-cell development establishes stable, lineage-specific gene expression while closing off alternative hematopoietic lineages.
  • This stability is hypothesized to involve epigenetic mechanisms like promoter 'poising' and repressive marks on non-T genes.
  • The dynamic interplay between transcription factors and epigenetic states is crucial for cellular identity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To critically review the evidence for epigenetic marking in maintaining stable T-cell identity.
  • To investigate the role of dynamic epigenetic modifications in T-cell lineage commitment.
  • To explore how epigenetic analysis can illuminate regulatory biology.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review and critical analysis of existing studies on T-cell development and epigenetics.
  • Examination of data on histone modifications and DNA methylation in T-cells.
  • Analysis of transcription factor dynamics and their interaction with epigenetic marks.

Main Results:

  • Evidence suggests that much epigenetic marking is dynamic and rapidly modified by transcription factors.
  • Repressive histone marks are applied in gene-specific ways, not fitting a simple lineage-exclusion hierarchy.
  • The stable aspects of T-cell identity may not solely rely on a static epigenetic landscape.

Conclusions:

  • Epigenetic marking in T-cells is more dynamic than previously assumed for maintaining stable identity.
  • A simple model of epigenetic lineage exclusion does not fully explain T-cell development.
  • Epigenetic analysis is most impactful when identifying cis-regulatory elements during active regulation.