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Related Concept Videos

Diversity of Antigen Receptors01:28

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...
Conserved Binding Sites01:49

Conserved Binding Sites

Many proteins’ biological role depends on their interactions with their ligands, small molecules that bind to specific locations on the protein known as ligand-binding sites. Ligand-binding sites are often conserved among homologous proteins as these sites are critical for protein function.
Binding sites are often located in large pockets, and if their location on a protein’s surface is unknown, it can be predicted using various approaches. The energetic method computationally analyses the...
Special Features of Adaptive Immunity01:20

Special Features of Adaptive Immunity

The adaptive immune system, a crucial component of the overall immune response, offers a highly specialized defense against pathogens. It involves specific cell types and features, enabling it to combat infections effectively and efficiently.
The primary cell types involved in adaptive immunity are T cells and B cells. Each type has a unique role in defending the body against pathogens. T cells are responsible for cell-mediated immunity. They identify and eliminate infected cells directly,...
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...
Multi-species Conserved Sequences02:51

Multi-species Conserved Sequences

Next-generation sequencing technologies have created large genomic databases of a variety of animals and plants. Ever since the human genome project was completed, scientists studied the genome of primates, mammals, and other phylogenetically distant living beings. Such large-scale  studies have provided new insights into the evolutionary relationship between organisms.
Although the genome of each species varies greatly from each other, a few sequences are highly conserved. Such conserved DNA...
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...

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Related Experiment Video

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Generation of Human Alloantigen-specific T Cells from Peripheral Blood
09:47

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Published on: November 21, 2014

Evolutionarily conserved features contribute to αβ T cell receptor specificity.

James P Scott-Browne1, Frances Crawford, Mary H Young

  • 1Integrated Department of Immunology, National Jewish Health and University of Colorado School of Medicine, Denver, CO 80206, USA.

Immunity
|October 4, 2011
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The T cell receptor (TCR) maintains ancient specificity for major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules. Shared amino acids in TCRs across diverse vertebrates indicate early selection for MHC binding, conserved for over 400 million years.

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Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Alpha-beta T cell receptors (TCRs) recognize foreign antigens presented by major histocompatibility complex (MHC) proteins.
  • Evidence suggests coevolution between TCRs and MHC molecules due to conserved features in germline-encoded TCR segments.
  • The evolutionary conservation of TCR specificity for MHC molecules requires direct assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To directly assess the evolutionary conservation of alpha-beta TCR specificity for MHC and MHC-like molecules.
  • To investigate the role of specific amino acid residues in TCR-MHC binding across different vertebrate species.

Main Methods:

  • Sequence comparisons of TCR Vβ segments from various jawed vertebrates.
  • Construction and functional testing of chimeric TCRs incorporating Vβ segments from amphibians, bony fish, and cartilaginous fish.
  • Assessment of chimeric TCR recognition of antigens presented by mouse MHC class II and CD1d.

Main Results:

  • Sequence analysis revealed shared amino acids in complementarity determining region 2 (CDR2) of Vβ segments from distantly related vertebrates.
  • Chimeric TCRs engineered with Vβs from diverse fish and amphibians demonstrated recognition of mouse MHC class II and CD1d.
  • This recognition was critically dependent on the conserved CDR2 amino acid residues.

Conclusions:

  • Key features of TCRs governing specificity for MHC and MHC-like molecules were selected early in vertebrate evolution.
  • These specificity determinants have been maintained across species separated by over 400 million years of evolution.
  • The findings highlight a deep evolutionary conservation in the fundamental mechanisms of adaptive immunity.