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Antigen decoding by T lymphocytes: from synapses to fate determination

Nature Immunology volume 2, pages 487–492 (2001)Cite this article

Abstract

Naïve T lymphocytes sense foreign antigens by establishing contacts with dendritic cells (DCs). At the immunological synapse between the T cell and a DC, T cell receptors (TCRs) are serially engaged and triggered by specific ligands. The amount and duration of TCR triggering and the efficiency of signal amplification determine T cell commitment to proliferation and differentiation. The nature and availability of DCs bearing antigen and costimulatory molecules shape the T cell response, giving rise to distinct functional outputs such as effector and memory T cell generation or T cell tolerance.

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Figure 1: Mechanisms that sustain and amplify signaling at the immunological synapse.
Figure 2: The role of antigen and costimulation in TCR triggering and T cell activation.
Figure 3: The role of TCR stimulation in driving T cell proliferation and differentiation.
Figure 4: Competition for access to DCs leads to selection of responding T cells and immunodominance.

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Acknowledgements

We thank K. Karjalainen for critical reading and comments. A. L. is supported by the Helmut Horten Foundation.

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    Antonio Lanzavecchia & Federica Sallusto

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Lanzavecchia, A., Sallusto, F. Antigen decoding by T lymphocytes: from synapses to fate determination. Nat Immunol 2, 487–492 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/88678

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