Positive Selection of TcRalphabeta Thymocytes: Is Cortical Thymic Epithelium an Obligatory Participant in the Presentation of Major Histocompatibility Complex Protein?

1993 ◽  
Vol 135 (1) ◽  
pp. 133-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrice Hugo ◽  
John W. Kappler ◽  
Philippa C. Marrack
Keyword(s):  
Major Histocompatibility Complex ◽  
Positive Selection ◽  
Major Histocompatibility ◽  
Thymic Epithelium ◽  
Histocompatibility Complex ◽  
Major Histocompatibility Complex Protein ◽  
Complex Protein ◽  
Selection Of

scholarly journals Highly Restricted T Cell Repertoire Shaped by a Single Major Histocompatibility Complex–Peptide Ligand in the Presence of a Single Rearranged T Cell Receptor β Chain

1998 ◽  
Vol 188 (5) ◽  
pp. 897-907 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshinori Fukui ◽  
Osamu Hashimoto ◽  
Ayumi Inayoshi ◽  
Takahiro Gyotoku ◽  
Tetsuro Sano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Major Histocompatibility Complex ◽  
T Cell ◽  
Positive Selection ◽  
Peptide Ligand ◽  
T Cell Repertoire ◽  
Major Histocompatibility ◽  
Cell Repertoire ◽  
Histocompatibility Complex ◽  
Self Peptides ◽  
Selection Of

The T cell repertoire is shaped by positive and negative selection of thymocytes through the interaction of α/β-T cell receptors (TCR) with self-peptides bound to self-major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules. However, the involvement of specific TCR-peptide contacts in positive selection remains unclear. By fixing TCR-β chains with a single rearranged TCR-β irrelevant to the selecting ligand, we show here that T cells selected to mature on a single MHC–peptide complex express highly restricted TCR-α chains in terms of Vα usage and amino acid residue of their CDR3 loops, whereas such restriction was not observed with those selected by the same MHC with diverse sets of self-peptides including this peptide. Thus, we visualized the TCR structure required to survive positive selection directed by this single ligand. Our findings provide definitive evidence that specific recognition of self-peptides by TCR could be involved in positive selection of thymocytes.

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