Immune recognition, response, and regulation: how T lymphocytes do it.

Effective immunity to infectious agents requires the initial recognition of antigen by specific receptors, which leads to the activation of immunocytes and the elicitation of an immune response. Because T cell antigen recognition and directed responses are complex processes, they are initiated and quelled in a highly regulated manner. Our laboratory has focused on defining the molecular processes that control T cell antigen presentation and recognition. Research in this area is focused on determining the chemical nature of antigens displayed by Major histocompatibility, complex (MHC)-encoded class I molecules and the nonclassical class I-like protein CD1d. Quantitative aspects of antigen presentation and recognition are also being studied to determine how these factors control the initiation of a T cell response. Our studies provide insights into the biochemical basis of T cell antigen recognition and response as well as the molecular processes underlying the initiation and regulation of immune responses by CD1d-restricted natural T lymphocytes.