Creating a Micropipette System to Measure T Cell Binding Kinetics
Session Number
B02
Advisor(s)
Jun Huang, University of Chicago Jake Skarzynski, University of Chicago
Location
B-115
Start Date
28-4-2016 10:15 AM
End Date
28-4-2016 10:40 AM
Abstract
The human adaptive immune system relies on T cells, lymphocytes which recognize pathogens through antigen receptors on their surfaces. To initialize the immune response, T cell receptors (TCRs) bind to pMHC complexes, consisting of the antigenic peptides of a pathogen and the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) of an antigen presenting cell. The binding process triggers the beginning of the adaptive immune response as cytokines are released and other leukocytes are activated. The specificity of this binding mechanism is an area of special interest, because a specific TCR can only recognize a very small subset of antigenic peptides and thus pMHC complexes. In particular, TCRs must have the capability to search for a corresponding pMHC complex at a very rapid rate. In this investigation, the binding kinetics of the TCR-pMHC interaction are studied using an experimental micropipette system, based on similar experiments by Chesla et al. The micropipette system is constructed, which can be used to measure the adhesion and association/disassociation behavior through an adhesion frequency assay or a thermal fluctuation assay, using a biomembrane force probe. This data can then be used to directly calculate the 2D binding kinetics of the TCR-pMHC interaction. This investigation is still waiting on final results.
Creating a Micropipette System to Measure T Cell Binding Kinetics
B-115
The human adaptive immune system relies on T cells, lymphocytes which recognize pathogens through antigen receptors on their surfaces. To initialize the immune response, T cell receptors (TCRs) bind to pMHC complexes, consisting of the antigenic peptides of a pathogen and the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) of an antigen presenting cell. The binding process triggers the beginning of the adaptive immune response as cytokines are released and other leukocytes are activated. The specificity of this binding mechanism is an area of special interest, because a specific TCR can only recognize a very small subset of antigenic peptides and thus pMHC complexes. In particular, TCRs must have the capability to search for a corresponding pMHC complex at a very rapid rate. In this investigation, the binding kinetics of the TCR-pMHC interaction are studied using an experimental micropipette system, based on similar experiments by Chesla et al. The micropipette system is constructed, which can be used to measure the adhesion and association/disassociation behavior through an adhesion frequency assay or a thermal fluctuation assay, using a biomembrane force probe. This data can then be used to directly calculate the 2D binding kinetics of the TCR-pMHC interaction. This investigation is still waiting on final results.