T Cell's Sense of Self: a Role of Self-Recognition in Shaping Functional Competence of Naive T Cells

Post-thymic naive T cells constitute a key cellular arm of adaptive immunity, with a well-known characteristic of the specificity and robustness of responses to cognate foreign antigens which is presented as a form of antigen-derived peptides bound to major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules by antigen-presenting cells (APCs). In a steady state, however, these cells are resting, quiescent in their activity, but must keep full ranges of functional integrity to mount rapid and robust immunity to cope with various infectious pathogens at any time and space. Such unique property of resting naive T cells is not acquired in a default manner but rather requires an active mechanism. Although our understanding of exactly how this process occurs and what factors are involved remains incomplete, a particular role of self-recognition by T cells has grown greatly in recent years. In this brief review, we discuss recent data on how the interaction of T cells with self-peptide MHC ligands regulates their functional responsiveness and propose that variable strength of self reactivity imposes distinctly different levels of functional competence and heterogeneity.