Abstract
The T cell receptor (TCR) inherently has dual specificity. T cells must recognize self-antigens in the thymus during maturation and then discriminate between foreign pathogens in the periphery. A molecular basis for this cross- reactivity is elucidated by the crystal structure of the alloreactive 2C TCR bound to self peptide-major histocompatibility complex (pMHC) antigen H- 2Kb-dEV8 refined against anisotropic 3.0 angstrom resolution x-ray data. The interface between peptide and TCR exhibits extremely poor shape complementarity, and the TCR β chain complementarity-determining region 3 (CDR3) has minimal interaction with the dEV8 peptide. Large conformational changes in three of the TCR CDR loops are induced upon binding, providing a mechanism of structural plasticity to accommodate a variety of different peptide antigens. Extensive TCR interaction with the pMHC α helices suggests a generalized orientation that is mediated by the V(α) domain of the TCR and rationalizes how TCRs can effectively 'scan' different peptides bound within a large, low-affinity MHC structural framework for those that provide the slight additional kinetic stabilization required for signaling.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1166-1172 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Science |
Volume | 279 |
Issue number | 5354 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Feb 20 1998 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General