| MOLECULES INVOLVED IN ANTIGEN RECOGNITION
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| T and B cells are involved in antigen recognition
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| Figure 36.2 Structure of the α/β, γ/δ T-cell receptors. V and C refer to the variable and constant sequence domains, respectively, of each of the α, β, γ and δchains. Modified from Roitt IM et al. Immunology, 5th edn. London: Mosby, 1998. |
| Figure 36.3 Structure of B-cell antigen receptor. |
The specificity of the immune response is made possible through the recognition of the antigen by specific receptors
on T and B cells. The ability to recognize the enormous number of possible antigenic configurations is achieved by differences in amino acid sequence of these receptors, which gives rise to differences in protein shape or conformation. As mentioned earlier, the antigen and its specific receptor have a 'hand-in-glove' relationship. Both T- and B-cell antigen receptors show marked variability in the sequence of amino acids that come into contact with the antigenic element, while other parts of these molecules are relatively constant with regard to their amino acid sequences.
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