|
||
J. Exp. Med.,
Volume 186, Number 10, November 17, 1997 1775-1779
By


From the * Basel Institute for Immunology, 4005, Basel, Switzerland; and CD4 and CD8 are thought to function as coreceptors by binding to the cognate major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules recognized by the T cell antigen receptor (TCR)
and initiating the signal transduction cascade. We report that during T cell-antigen-presenting cell interaction, triggered TCRs and coreceptors are downregulated and degraded with identical kinetics. This coordinated disappearance takes place whenever the TCR is triggered, even
when the coreceptor does not engage the cognate MHC molecule and is the consequence of
binding of the coreceptor-associated Lck to ZAP-70. The interaction of coreceptor and cognate MHC molecules is dispensable when T cells are stimulated by optimal ligands, but becomes crucial when suboptimal ligands are used. In the latter case the coreceptor increases the
efficiency of TCR triggering without changing the activation threshold or the quality of the T
cell response.
Molecular Immunology
Unit Institut Pasteur, 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France
This article has been cited by other articles:
| TABLE OF CONTENTS |
|