ABSTRACT
Generation of Antigen-specifi c Receptors: The growth of B and T cells from pluripotent stem cells requires successive differentiation through a series of stages that starts in the bone marrow and ends in the thymus (T cells) or peripheral lymphoid tissue (B cells).1-3 During differentiation lymphocytes are educated to recognize self and non-self antigens through the expression of antigen-specifi c receptors known as T cell receptors (TCR) and B cell receptors (BCR).4 TCRs are comprised of αβ or γδ subunits whereas BCRs are composed of membrane-bound immunoglobulins (Fig. 1.1). Approximately 90 percent of peripheral blood T cells are αβ+ and the remainder cells are γδ+, although the proportion of the latter reaches 25-30 percent in the gastrointestinal mucosa and skin.2 The generation of TCRs and
1Division of Allergy and Immunology, National Jewish Health & University of Colorado, Denver. Colorado. USA. 2Allergy and Immunology Fellow, National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado, USA. 3Assistant professor, Division of Allergy and Immunology, National Jewish Health & University of Colorado Denver, Denver, Colorado, USA. *Corresponding author
List of abbreviations after the text.
