AUTHOR=Tippalagama Rashmi , Chihab Leila Y. , Kearns Kendall , Lewis Sloan , Panda Sudhasini , Willemsen Lisa , Burel Julie G. , Lindestam Arlehamn Cecilia S. 

TITLE=Antigen-specificity measurements are the key to understanding T cell responses

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Immunology

VOLUME=14

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2023.1127470

DOI=10.3389/fimmu.2023.1127470

ISSN=1664-3224

ABSTRACT=<p>Antigen-specific T cells play a central role in the adaptive immune response and come in a wide range of phenotypes. T cell receptors (TCRs) mediate the antigen-specificities found in T cells. Importantly, high-throughput TCR sequencing provides a fingerprint which allows tracking of specific T cells and their clonal expansion in response to particular antigens. As a result, many studies have leveraged TCR sequencing in an attempt to elucidate the role of antigen-specific T cells in various contexts. Here, we discuss the published approaches to studying antigen-specific T cells and their specific TCR repertoire. Further, we discuss how these methods have been applied to study the TCR repertoire in various diseases in order to characterize the antigen-specific T cells involved in the immune control of disease.</p>