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Related Concept Videos

Diversity of Antigen Receptors01:28

Diversity of Antigen Receptors

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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...
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T Cell Activation and Clonal Selection01:22

T Cell Activation and Clonal Selection

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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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Antibody Structure01:10

Antibody Structure

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Overview
Antibodies, also known as immunoglobulins (Ig), are essential players of the adaptive immune system. These antigen-binding proteins are produced by B cells and make up 20 percent of the total blood plasma by weight. In mammals, antibodies fall into five different classes, which each elicits a different biological response upon antigen binding.
The Y-Shaped Structure of Antibodies Consists of Four Polypeptide Chains
Antibodies consist of four polypeptide chains: two identical heavy...
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Antibody Structure and Classes01:25

Antibody Structure and Classes

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Antibodies, also known as immunoglobulins, are produced by B cells in response to foreign substances, such as bacteria and viruses. These proteins are critical for recognizing and neutralizing these substances, protecting the body from potential harm.
The basic structure of an antibody consists of four protein chains: two identical heavy chains and two identical light chains. These chains are held together by disulfide bonds and other non-covalent interactions, forming a Y-shaped structure.
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T Cell Types and Functions01:24

T Cell Types and Functions

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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...
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Multi-pass Transmembrane Proteins and β-barrels01:09

Multi-pass Transmembrane Proteins and β-barrels

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In multi-pass transmembrane proteins, the polypeptide chain crosses the membrane more than once. The transmembrane polypeptide chain either forms an α-helix or β-strand structure. α-Helix containing multi-pass transmembrane proteins are ubiquitous, whereas β-strand containing ones are mainly found in gram-negative bacteria, mitochondria, and chloroplasts.
α-Helix containing multi-pass transmembrane proteins
Multi-pass transmembrane proteins such as...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 24, 2025

Using X-ray Crystallography, Biophysics, and Functional Assays to Determine the Mechanisms Governing T-cell Receptor Recognition of Cancer Antigens
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T-cell receptor structures and predictive models reveal comparable alpha and beta chain structural diversity despite

Nele P Quast1, Brennan Abanades1, Bora Guloglu1

  • 1Department of Statistics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.

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T-cell receptor (TCR) structure prediction is advancing, revealing significant structural diversity in both alpha and beta chains. This finding enhances understanding of antigen specificity and enables large-scale TCR structural analysis for drug discovery.

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Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Structural Biology
  • Bioinformatics

Background:

  • T-cell receptor (TCR) structures are underutilized in drug discovery and repertoire informatics.
  • Accurate TCR structure prediction is crucial for understanding immune responses.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Evaluate current TCR structure prediction methods.
  • Identify challenging regions for TCR modeling.
  • Develop a TCR-specific model for large-scale structure prediction.

Main Methods:

  • Leveraged a large dataset of solved TCR structures.
  • Performed clustering analyses.
  • Trained a TCR-specific predictive model.

Main Results:

  • The alpha chain VJ-recombined loop (CDR3α) shows structural diversity comparable to the beta chain VDJ-recombined loop (CDR3β).
  • This contrasts with antibody variable domain loops, suggesting both TCR chains determine antigen specificity.
  • Provided over 1.5 million predicted TCR structures.

Conclusions:

  • TCR structure prediction has reached a new state-of-the-art.
  • Both TCR alpha and beta chains are critical for antigen specificity.
  • Enabled unprecedented scale of structural TCR information for research and drug discovery.