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A reliable and safe T cell repertoire based on low-affinity T cell receptors
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UNSPECIFIED (2001) A reliable and safe T cell repertoire based on low-affinity T cell receptors. JOURNAL OF THEORETICAL BIOLOGY, 209 (4). pp. 465-486. ISSN 0022-5193.
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Abstract
Antigens are presented to T cells as short peptides bound to MHC molecules on the surface of body cells. The binding between MHC/peptides and T cell receptors (TCRs) has a low affinity and is highly degenerate. Nevertheless, TCR-MHC/peptide recognition results in T cell activation of high specificity. Moreover, the immune system is able to mount a cellular response when only a small fraction of the MHC molecules on an antigen-presenting cell is occupied by foreign peptides, while autoimmunity remains relatively rare. We consider how to reconcile these seemingly contradictory facts using a quantitative model of TCR signalling and T cell activation. Taking into account the statistics of TCR recognition and antigen presentation, we show that thymic selection can produce a working T cell repertoire which will produce safe and effective responses, that is, recognizes foreign antigen presented at physiological levels while tolerating self. We introduce "activation curves" as a useful tool to study the repertoire's statistical activation properties. (C) 2001 Academic Press.
Item Type: | Journal Article | ||||
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Subjects: | Q Science > QH Natural history > QH301 Biology | ||||
Journal or Publication Title: | JOURNAL OF THEORETICAL BIOLOGY | ||||
Publisher: | ACADEMIC PRESS LTD | ||||
ISSN: | 0022-5193 | ||||
Official Date: | 21 April 2001 | ||||
Dates: |
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Volume: | 209 | ||||
Number: | 4 | ||||
Number of Pages: | 22 | ||||
Page Range: | pp. 465-486 | ||||
Publication Status: | Published |
Data sourced from Thomson Reuters' Web of Knowledge
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