| Lymphocyte activation and commitment has always been among the foci in immunological research. After being stimulated by antigens, resting lymphocytes will change biochemically. Through activation and commitment, they become the effector cells which are capable of carrying out biological functions. From the point of view of molecular biology, the activation and commitment of lymphocytes is actually a process in which a panel of genes in lymphocytes are induced and expressed. The external signal will be transduced into cytoplasm via the signal recognition molecules on cell surface. Finally the signal will be transduced into nucleus and regulates the expression of certain genes. After that there will be a cascade of reactions: the products expressed by some genes will regulate the expression of some other genes. The products of some regulated genes will be secreted from the cell (e.g. lymphokines) and modulate the functions of lymphocytes and other cells, and through which the lymphocyte's effects are displayed.In the activation process of lymphocytes, especially of T lymphocytes, the secretion of IL-2 (only in T_H) and the expressionof IL-2R are two extremely important biochemical events. The interaction between IL-2 and IL-2R is a prerequisite for the cell to enter S phase from G1 phase. Difficiency in the expression of IL-2 and IL-2R will make the cell stagnate in Gl phase, uncapable of preliferation. Thus, the study of regulatory machanism in IL-2R expression is very important to the more precise comprehension of T cell activation.
|
PDF Full Text Request