Complete but curtailed T-cell response to very low-affinity antigen

Dietmar Zehn, Sarah Y. Lee and Michael J. Bevan ()
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Dietmar Zehn: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Box 357370, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
Sarah Y. Lee: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Box 357370, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
Michael J. Bevan: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Box 357370, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA

Nature, 2009, vol. 458, issue 7235, 211-214

Abstract: T-cell activation: mixed affinities According to the prevailing view, high-affinity T-cell receptor (TCR) ligation is required for T-cell priming and thymic negative selection, while low-affinity ligands induce positive selection and lymphopaenia-driven homeostatic expansion. Zehn et al. report that, surprisingly, T-cell expansion after initial activation occurs irrespective of TCR affinity. Low-affinity cells generate functional effector and memory responses. However, their expansion ceases earlier resulting in an overall decreased total number of low-affinity cells compared to their high-affinity counterparts. The findings have implications for autoimmunity and the makeup of the memory T-cell pool.

Date: 2009
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DOI: 10.1038/nature07657

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