1932

Abstract

A functional immune system requires the selection of T lymphocytes expressing receptors that are major histocompatibility complex restricted but tolerant to self-antigens. This selection occurs predominantly in the thymus, where lymphocyte precursors first assemble a surface receptor. In this review we summarize the current state of the field regarding the natural ligands and molecular factors required for positive and negative selection and discuss a model for how these disparate outcomes can be signaled via the same receptor. We also discuss emerging data on the selection of regulatory T cells. Such cells require a high-affinity interaction with self-antigens, yet differentiate into regulatory cells instead of being eliminated.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1146/annurev.immunol.21.120601.141107
2003-04-01
2024-03-29
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

/content/journals/10.1146/annurev.immunol.21.120601.141107
Loading
/content/journals/10.1146/annurev.immunol.21.120601.141107
Loading

Data & Media loading...

  • Article Type: Review Article
This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a Success
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error