Deacy AM
Superantigen Recognition and Interactions: Functions, Mechanisms and Applications
Superantigens are unconventional antigens in the sense that they elicit a response by binding outside the complementary determining regions (CDRs) of their target immune receptor macromolecules (antibodies or T-cell receptors). At their initial description in 1989, superantigens were originally defined as proteins that hyper-stimulate T-cells via the crosslinking of T-cell receptors (TCRs) and MHC Class II molecules (1, 2). This definition required extension following the discovery of B-cell superantigens. B-cell superantigens can hyper-stimulate a large population of B-cells without necessarily having the ability to crosslink TCRs with MHC Class II receptors; they therefore have a different mechanism and specificity compared to T-cell superantigens (3). B-cell superantigens are commonly known to (i) stimulate a high proportion of B-cells, and (ii) bind outside of the CDRs (4). An extended definition of the term ‘superantigen’ was suggested to incorporate both functions, as a molecule which has antigen-receptor mediated interactions with over 5% of the lymphocyte pool (5). This functional definition is therefore based on the hyper-activity of the target receptor upon exposure, and we will use the term in this context here.
ReadSuperantigen Recognition and Interactions: Functions, Mechanisms and Applications
Superantigens are unconventional antigens in the sense that they elicit a response by binding outside the complementary determining regions (CDRs) of their target immune receptor macromolecules (antibodies or T-cell receptors). At their initial description in 1989, superantigens were originally defined as proteins that hyper-stimulate T-cells via the crosslinking of T-cell receptors (TCRs) and MHC Class II molecules (1, 2).
Read