T.Cell Receptors

Historical overview; Development of T cells in the thymus; The function of aBT cells and the role of the co-receptor molecule, CD4 and CD8; T cell specificity and function; Emergence of the T cell receptor repertoire; The human T cell receptor repertoire; T cell activation; Transgenesis and the T cell receptor; Superantigens and tolerance; SRC - related kinases and their receptors in T cell activation; Organization of the human TCRB gene complex; Genomic organization of T cell receptor genes in the mouse; Nature of variation among variable genes; T cell receptor V(D)J recombination: Mechanisms and developmental regulation; Allelic exclusion of T cell antigen receptor genes; Plasticity of the TCR/CD3 complex; The immune recognition unit: The TCR/peptide/MHC complex; A structural model of a bacterial superantigen binding to MHC class II and T cell receptors; Biosynthesis of MHC products and its relevance for antigen presentation.