Mechanisms behind functional avidity maturation in T cells

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

During an immune response antigen-primed B-cells increase their antigen responsiveness by affinity maturation mediated by somatic hypermutation of the genes encoding the antigen-specific B-cell receptor (BCR) and by selection of higher-affinity B cell clones. Unlike the BCR, the T-cell receptor (TCR) cannot undergo affinity maturation. Nevertheless, antigen-primed T cells significantly increase their antigen responsiveness compared to antigen-inexperienced (naïve) T cells in a process called functional avidity maturation. This paper covers studies that describe differences in T-cell antigen responsiveness during T-cell differentiation along with examples of the mechanisms behind functional avidity maturation in T cells.
Original languageEnglish
Article number163453
JournalClinical & Developmental Immunology
Volume2012
Number of pages8
ISSN1740-2522
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jan 2012

    Research areas

  • Animals, Cell Differentiation, Cellular Microenvironment, Cytokines, Humans, Immunologic Memory, Lymphocyte Activation, Receptor Cross-Talk, Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, Signal Transduction, T-Lymphocyte Subsets, T-Lymphocytes

ID: 46485143