MHC class I multimers

T lymphocytes play a key role in the immune response to both foreign and self peptide antigens, which they recognize in combination with MHC molecules. In the past it has been difficult to analyse objectively the specificity, frequency and intensity of T cell responses. The recent application of fluorescent-labelled MHC class I multimers, however, has provided a powerful experimental approach to the direct visualisation of antigen-specific T cells. As a result, our perspective of how T cells respond to both viruses and other antigens in vivo has been greatly enhanced.

T淋巴细胞（T lymphocyte）在针对外源及自身肽类抗原的免疫应答中发挥关键作用，此类抗原需与主要组织相容性复合体（Major Histocompatibility Complex，MHC）分子结合后，方可被T淋巴细胞识别。过往，客观分析T细胞应答的特异性、频率与强度始终颇具难度。近年来，荧光标记的I型MHC多聚体的应用，为抗原特异性T细胞的直接可视化检测提供了强有力的实验手段。这一技术进展极大地提升了我们对体内T细胞应答病毒及其他抗原的机制的认知。