T-cells behaving badly: structural insights into alloreactivity and autoimmunity

Abstract

T-cells play a critical role in protective immunity, with their broad receptor repertoire capable of engaging diverse foreign pMHC landscapes. While the versatility and specificity of this MHC-restricted response is the hallmark of adaptive immunity, unwanted TCR interactions can profoundly effect the health of the host leading for instance to allograft rejection or autoimmunity. In allogeneic transplantation, such adverse reactions can occur by an indirect pathway when the TCR interacts with self-MHC molecules presenting allogeneic MHC derived peptides. Direct T-cell alloreactivity involves recognition of the allogeneic molecule itself either through molecular mimicry or by novel pMHC bindi..