De immunologische synaps: een exclusieve zone voor gerichte celdood na specifieke herkenning

Cytotoxic T lymphocytes or killer cells are an important part of the immune system. These cells move through the body while their T cell receptors initiate low affinity contacts with MHC class I proteins (also termed transplantation antigens) on other cells. If there is a specific interaction between the T cell receptor and MHC class I molecule, then that cell is killed. This happens with virus-infected cells but also with tumour cells, during transplant rejection and in various autoimmune diseases. The immunological synapse is a sealed area generated by the killer cell in order to selectively kill a particular cell. The cytotoxic content of the killer cell is released into this area