The Importance of T-cell Receptors in Immune Response: Understanding their Structure and Function

T-cell receptors

bind antigens or specific peptides presented by antigen presenting cells

T-cell receptors (TCRs) are proteins that are found on the surface of T-cells, which are a type of white blood cell that plays a key role in immune system response. TCRs are responsible for recognizing specific antigens, which are molecules that are found on the surface of infected or cancerous cells.

The structure of TCRs is similar to that of antibodies – they have two chains, known as alpha and beta chains, which are composed of variable and constant regions. The variable regions are responsible for recognizing specific antigens, while the constant regions are involved in signal transduction and recruitment of other immune cells.

When the TCRs bind to a specific antigen, they activate the T-cells and trigger a series of events that leads to the immune system response. TCRs play an important role in the adaptive immune system, where they enable the T-cells to recognize and respond to a wide variety of foreign invaders, while ignoring normal self-tissues.

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