T cell receptor

noun

variants or T-cell receptor
plural T cell receptors or T-cell receptors
: an antigen receptor on the surface of a T cell that is composed of two transmembrane polypeptide chains covalently linked by disulfide bonds and that initiates T cell activation upon binding with a specific antigenic peptide fragment combined with a major histocompatibility complex molecule and displayed on the surface of an antigen-presenting cell
… the T cell receptor actually recognizes not a solitary peptide but a complex consisting of a peptide and the surrounding region of the class I MHC molecule.Thierry Boon
… the T-cell receptor … acts as the antigen receptor for T cells one of whose principal functions is to recognize and destroy virus-infected cells …Carl Branden et al.
abbreviation TCR

Word History

First Known Use

1972, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of T cell receptor was in 1972

Dictionary Entries Near T cell receptor

Cite this Entry

“T cell receptor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/T%20cell%20receptor. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.

Medical Definition

T cell receptor

noun
variants or T-cell receptor
: an antigen receptor on the surface of a T cell that is composed of two transmembrane polypeptide chains covalently linked by disulfide bonds and that initiates T cell activation upon binding with a specific antigenic peptide fragment combined with a major histocompatibility complex molecule and displayed on the surface of an antigen-presenting cell
… the T cell receptor actually recognizes not a solitary peptide but a complex consisting of a peptide and the surrounding region of the class I MHC molecule.Thierry Boon
… the T-cell receptor … acts as the antigen receptor for T cells one of whose principal functions is to recognize and destroy virus-infected cells …Carl Branden et al.
abbreviation TCR
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