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Recognition by a T-cell antigen receptor (TCR) of peptide complexed with a major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecule occurs through variable loops in the TCR structure which bury almost all the available peptide and a much larger area of the MHC molecule. The TCR fits diagonally across the MHC peptide-binding site in a surface feature common to all class I and class II MHC molecules, providing evidence that the nature of binding is general. A broadly applicable binding mode has implications for the mechanism of repertoire selection and the magnitude of alloreactions.

(C) 1996 Macmillan Magazines Ltd.