Casting a wider net: Immunosurveillance by nonclassical MHC molecules
Author(s)
Birnbaum, Michael E.![Thumbnail](/bitstream/handle/1721.1/124454/journal.ppat.1007567.pdf.jpg?sequence=4&isAllowed=y)
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Most studies of T lymphocytes focus on recognition of classical major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I or II molecules presenting oligopeptides, yet there are numerous variations and exceptions of biological significance based on recognition of a wide variety of nonclassical MHC molecules. These include αβ and γδ T cells that recognize different class Ib molecules (CD1, MR-1, HLA-E, G, F, et al.) that are nearly monomorphic within a given species. Collectively, these T cells can be considered “unconventional,” in part because they recognize lipids, metabolites, and modified peptides. Unlike classical MHC-specific cells, unconventional T cells generally exhibit limited T-cell antigen receptor (TCR) repertoires and often produce innate immune cell-like rapid effector responses. Exploiting this system in new generation vaccines for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), tuberculosis (TB), other infectious agents, and cancer was the focus of a recent workshop, “Immune Surveillance by Non-classical MHC Molecules: Improving Diversity for Antigens,” sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Here, we summarize salient points presented regarding the basic immunobiology of unconventional T cells, recent advances in methodologies to measure unconventional T-cell activity in diseases, and approaches to harness their considerable clinical potential.
Date issued
2019-02-21Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Biological EngineeringJournal
PloS one
Publisher
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Citation
D’Souza, M. Patricia et al. "Casting a wider net: Immunosurveillance by nonclassical MHC molecules." PloS one 15 (2019)
Version: Final published version
ISSN
1553-7374
Keywords
Immunology, Genetics, Molecular Biology, Microbiology, Parasitology, Virology