Reconciling views on T cell receptor germline bias for MHC

• Autores: K. Christopher Garcia
• Localización: Trends in immunology, ISSN 1471-4906, Vol. 33, Nº. 9, 2012, págs. 429-436
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Whether MHC restriction by the T cell receptor (TCR) is a product of evolutionary pressures leading to germline-encoded �rules of engagement� remains avidly debated. Structural results derived from analysis of TCR-peptide�MHC complexes appear to support a model of physical specificity between TCR germline V regions and MHC. Yet, some recent evidence suggests that thymic selection, and co-receptors may have misled us into thinking the TCR is exclusively MHC-specific, when in fact, TCRs can robustly engage non-MHC ligands when given the chance. Here, I propose that seemingly contradictory data and hypotheses for, and against, germline bias are, in fact, compatible and can be reconciled into a unifying model.