The T-Cell Receptor Signalosome

T lymphocytes recognize MHC-presented antigens through their T cell receptor (TCR). TCRs are generated by a stochastic process of somatic DNA recombination, enabling the generation of a large repertoire of clonally distributed receptors, but also allowing the production of self-reactive TCRs that are potentially responsible for autoimmune disorders. Understanding the characteristics of these receptors, the processes by which ligand recognition generates intracellular signals, as well as the mechanisms by which they are regulated, are topics of great relevance in immunology. This article explores current models that explain signal initiation, information encoding and termination of signal transduction by the TCR signalosome following ligand recognition.