Alexa Fluor^® 647 Mouse Anti-Rat TCR α/β Antibody (R73)

TCR α/β protein, the defining heterodimer of the αβ T-cell lineage, is a disulfide-linked transmembrane receptor whose extracellular amino-terminal variable (Vα/Vβ) and constant (Cα/Cβ) Ig-like domains collectively form an antigen-binding groove that recognizes a composite ligand consisting of a peptide non-covalently nestled within the groove of an MHC molecule; this interaction is stabilized by two paired immunoglobulin superfamily domains and anchored to the T-cell membrane via stalk, transmembrane and short cytoplasmic regions that associate with CD3 γε, δε and ζζ signaling subunits, so that ligand-induced conformational change in the αβ heterodimer triggers phosphorylation of ITAMs and initiates the calcium- and kinase-dependent cascade leading to T-cell activation, proliferation and differentiation, thereby making the TCR α/β protein the central sensor that converts extracellular peptide-MHC information into intracellular immune decisions.