Mature T lymphocytes of the CD8 or CD4 classes bear αβ T cell receptors (TCR) that are
specific for a molecular complex consisting of a major histocompatibility complex class I or II
(MHC class I or II) molecule bound to a unique self or foreign peptide. Until recently,
methods for monitoring the T cell immune response to a viral or tumor antigen were
restricted primarily to functional assays based on limiting dilution analysis, because the lack
of specific molecular reagents to identify clonal T cells obviated approaches to identify and …

Mature T lymphocytes of the CD8 or CD4 classes bear αβ T cell receptors (TCR) that are
specific for a molecular complex consisting of a major histocompatibility complex class I or II
(MHC class I or II) molecule bound to a unique self or foreign peptide. Until recently,
methods for monitoring antigen‐specific T cell immune responses were restricted primarily
to functional assays based on limiting dilution analysis, because the lack of specific
molecular reagents to identify clonal T cells obviated approaches to identify and enumerate …