Assignment 8 Flashcards
when progenitor T cells migrate to the thymic cortex for development/differentiation/maturation, what the this event marked by?
sequential expression of cell surface proteins (receptor/ligands)
-expression of TCR that is defined by its exquisite specificity in recognizing antigenic peptide displayed as a complex with MHC molecules
what influences the naive mature B cells to differentiate in the thymic microenvironment?
IL-7
during its migration through the thymus, the thymocyte expresses unique TCR capable of recognizing antigenic fragments ONLY when?
the peptide fragments are displayed in association with either a class I or II MHC molecule
what results in the acquisition of a unique TCR to an array of T cells each expressing a different TCR?
somatic recombination
what are TCR composed of (types of TCR..)?
2 transmembrane polypeptide chains - either alpha/beta (90% of T cells in human body) or gamma/delta
what is the TCR expressed in association with?
5 invariant polypeptides collectively termed CD3
what is the role of CD3
link the antigen binding receptor to the T cell with signaling pathways
what regions are found on each chain of the T cell receptor?
variable and constant regions
T cell clones express TCR with the _____ constant regions, each T cell clones express TCR with a ____ variable region
same
unique
*why - variable regions - VDJ
TCRalpha variable region = VJ
TCRbeta variable region = VDJ
what is the T cell repertoire a result of
- multiple copies of germ line VDJ gene segments
- random selection and combo of VDJ gene segments
- junctional diversity generated by the addition/deletion of bases
- random assortment of TCRalpha and TCRbeta chains
during T cell differentiation in the thymic cortex, what molecules are expressed on the cells surface
CD2 Pre-TCR-CD3 complex CD4 CD8 TCR-CD3 complex
what is the first molecule to be expressed and what it is considered
CD2
expressed throughout cell life
“pan marker”
why does CD3 continue to be expressed throughout cell life?
because TCRs are only expressed on cell surface complexed WITH CD4
although pre-TCR is only transiently expressed, what critical role does it play?
that the pre-TCR complex can only form on the developing thymocyte if the TCR beta chain variable region has been successfully recombined in the process of somatic recombination
expression of pre-TCR CD3 indentified developing thymocytes that have potential to express what?
viable TCR
what role does signaling via the CD3 molecules of the pre-TCR complex play in subsequent differentiation of the thymocyte
- proliferation of that developing thymocyte
- expression of CD4 and CD8 (Double positive thymocyte) –then become CD4+ or CD8+, but not both! (single positive)
- delivery of signal that direct somatic recombination of the TCR alpha chain
define somatic recombination in terns of TCR variability
process by which unique variable regions are created in the thymus
what initiates the recombination process of TCR?
recombinases, nucleoprotin products of the RAG-1 and RAG-2 genes
what happens during differentiation of T cell
the DNA in the locus that encodes variable regions is cut and recombined to make an intact gene for the variable region in the alpha chain and beta chain = rearranged gene can be transcribed to mRNA the translated into an alpha chain and bet polypeptide chain
how many identical TCRs are be on any given cells
25,000 - identical!
clones that express TCR receptors represent what
t cell repertoire
somatic recombination of the TCR ___ variable region occurs before TCR____
beta
alpha
how is TCR diversity made possible?
because of somatic recombination of the VDJ segments that encode the variable regions
- multiple germline genes
- combinational association
- junctional diversity - from Tdt
- random selection of alpha/beta chains
what is the role of recombinase activating genes (RAG-1 and RAG-2)
recombination process requires these to be acitvated