Cellular Immune Recognition and the Biological Role of Major Transplantation Antigens

Induction of tolerance in autoimmune diseases by hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: getting closer to a cure?

“…As later discovered by Zinkernagel and Doherty, 126 the MHCs are peptide-presenting molecules resulting in MHC/peptide restriction for T-cell recognition. 127 It is not, therefore, surprising that many autoimmune diseases are associated with particular MHC genotypes.…”

Donor Unrestricted T Cells: A Shared Human T Cell Response

“…The medical implications of interdonor MHC protein variation are vast. MHC polymorphism is the central explanation for rejection of organs from unrelated donors (2). Based on the complex patterns of MHC protein expression in human populations, genetic restriction of MHC-reactive T cells creates a situation in which the immunodominant T cell antigens for any infection or autoimmune disease cannot be described in a general way for every patient, which limits antigen-based immunodiagnosis and therapy.…”

Molecular T Cell Biology – Basic and Translational Challenges in the Twenty-First Century

“…The basic paradigm of immunoglobulin (Ig) gene rearrangements that generate antibody diversity was revealed in 1976 (Tonegawa, 1993). The “dual” specificity of T cells for foreign peptide and self-MHC inferred by functional studies was discovered and clearly noted to be distinct from the “single” specificity of antibody recognition of foreign proteins (Zinkernagel, 1997). This realization then led to an intense effort to understand the molecular puzzle represented by the self versus non-self recognition and the receptor and ancillary molecules on T cells responsible for this unusual recognition.…”