"TCR" has 48 results in Resources.

Natural killer T (NKT) cells are a specialized population of T cells that express a semi-invariant T cell receptor (TCR alpha beta) and surface antigens typically associated with natural killer cells. The TCR on NKT cells is unique in that it recognizes glycolipid antigens presented by the MHC I-like molecule CD1d. Most NKT cells, known as type I NKT cells, express an invariant TCR alpha chain...

Activation of T cells is dependent on T cell receptors (TCR) and CD28, which recognize the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) peptide and B7 family members, respectively, on Antigen Presenting Cells (APC). T cell antigen recognition is initiated by the MHC presenting a short peptide sequence which is recognized by T cells expressing a specific TCR. This initiating event is followed by...

Gamma delta T cells represent a small fraction (1 - 5 %) of the overall T cell population but are enriched (more than 50 % of the T cell population) in epithelial cell-rich compartments like skin, the digestive tract, and reproductive organ mucosa. Gamma delta T cells are a subset of T cells defined by the genetic composition of their T Cell Receptor (TCR). All T cells are derived from common...

View Larger T helper type 1 (Th1) cells are required for host defense against intracellular viral and bacterial pathogens. The most common markers used to identify Th1 cells are IFN-gamma production and expression of the T-bet transcription factor. For more information on Th1 cells, please see our main Th1 Cell Research Topic Page. T helper type 2 (Th2) cells are important for...

Thymocytes, precursors to T cells, develop in the thymus. They undergo several stages of selection and quality control to ensure maturation results in functional T cells. The first step is beta-selection in the cortex of the thymus which tests the structural properties of the newly formed T cell receptor (TCR) beta chain. The TCR structure must allow presentation on the cell surface with pre-TCR...

One of the most important events during a T cell response is activation. The discovery and characterization of the co-stimulatory B7/CD28 interaction supports the "two-signal" model for lymphocyte activation. In this model, a lymphocyte requires two distinct signals in order for full activation to occur. The first signal is provided by the interaction of the T cell receptor (TCR) on the...

Interleukin-7 (IL-7) is a member of the short chain four-helix bundle cytokine family. It is a strong hematopoietic growth factor produced and secreted by several different cell types including thymic stromal and mesenchymal cells, lymphatic endothelial cells, and intestinal epithelial cells. IL-7 promotes the differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) down the lymphoid cell lineage and...

Interleukin-7 (IL-7) is a type I glycoprotein that is predicted to form a four alpha-helix structure with a hydrophobic core. It is produced primarily by stromal cells and exerts its effects through a receptor complex consisting of IL-7 R alpha and common gamma-chain/IL-2 R gamma. IL-7 signaling is essential for the establishment and maintenance of normal immune system functions. It is required...

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell transfer has had success as a treatment for leukemia and lymphoma, but solid tumors have been more challenging due to the rarity of true tumor-specific target molecules and the immunosuppressive nature of the tumor microenvironment. A better understanding of CAR signaling pathways and how they differ from T cell receptor (TCR) signaling pathways is needed to...

Eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells possess multiple mechanisms to repair DNA and control damage to their genomes. These include base excision repair (BER) and nucleotide excision repair (NER) that excise and replace damaged nucleotide bases and helix-distorting lesions, respectively. Many of the proteins involved in NER are also active in the related transcription-coupled repair (TCR). In...