T-cell receptor activation tagged posts

The hallmark of an adaptive immune system is the ability of T-cells to recognise foreign substances, that are potentially harmful (Photo: Shutterstock)

In the past it was was largely assumed that “all receptors were equal.” as in George Orwell’s Animal Farm where the barnyard devolves into chaos, and the slogan “all animals are equal” becomes “all animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.” Using powerful imaging technology and some of Australia’s only super-resolution microscopes that can zoom in to the level of a single molecule, UNSW researchers have viewed this critical first-stage in the immune response, inside a single functional T-cell, in unprecedented detail.

UNSW Scientia Professor Katharina Gaus said: “Although all receptors in a single T-cell are genetically...