The receptors on T cells consist of immunoglobulin like integral membrane glycoproteins containing 2 polypeptide subunits, alpha and beta, of similar molecular weight, 40 to 55 kD in the human. Like the immunoglobulins of the B cells, each T cell receptor subunit has, external to the cell membrane, an N terminal variable domain and a C terminal constant domain. T cell receptors recognise foreign antigens which have been processed as small peptides and bound to major histocompatibility complex molecules at the surface of antigen presenting cells. Each T cell receptor is a dimer consisting of one alpha and one beta chain or one delta and one gamma chain. In a single cell, the T cell receptor loci are rearranged and expressed in the order delta, gamma, beta, and alpha. If both delta and gamma rearrangements produce functional chains, the cell expresses delta and gamma. If not, the cell proceeds to rearrange the beta and alpha loci.

HUMAN

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