REVIEW: Revision of the Antigen Receptor of T-Lymphocytes

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E. M. Kuklina

Institute of Ecology and Genetics of Microorganisms, Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Goleva 13, 614081 Perm, Russia; fax: (342) 244-6711; E-mail: ibis@iegm.ru

Received March 15, 2006; Revision received April 14, 2006

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This review considers a crucially new mechanism of T-cell antigen-recognizing repertoire formation. It includes the revision of T-cell antigen receptor (TCR), which implies the secondary rearrangement of TCR genes in peripheral T-lymphocytes and surface expression of a new antigen receptor with altered specificity. Factors and mechanisms involved in the induction of this process have been analyzed. Certain attention is paid to a possible role of TCR revision in the formation of peripheral tolerance in the processes of “avidity maturation” of T-lymphocytes during immune response and also negative consequences related to appearance of potentially autoreactive clones in the periphery.

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KEY WORDS: V(D)J-rearrangement, TCR, peripheral T-lymphocytes, RAG, receptor editing, tolerance, avidity maturation

DOI: 10.1134/S000629790608005

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