PubMed · 9107575
How did the primordial T cell receptor and MHC molecules function initially?
Abstract
Two genes, designated Trsc-UAA and Trsc-UBA, which encode highly polymorphic major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules in the shark Triakis scyllia were isolated. The identification of these genes indicates that the classical MHC class I was already established at the level of elasmobranchs during animal evolution. At the emergence of the MHC/T cell receptor recognition system, the number of genes for T cell receptors (TCR) must have been just one. In this brief review, the way in which a small number of TCR could have recognized MHC-oligopeptide complexes initially, based on recent progress in the phylogenetic analysis of the immune systems in primitive vertebrates, is discussed.
Explore related subjects
Keep this discovery
Explore connections, maps & timelines
Y Kurosawa, K Hashimoto. 1997. How did the primordial T cell receptor and MHC molecules function initially?. https://doi.org/10.1038/icb.1997.28
Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.