A one-receptor view of T-cell behaviour

The discovery of T cells and their behaviour has forced a re-evaluation of the immunological relationship between self and not-self. T cells seem to respond against foreign antigens only when the latter are in some form of association with self molecules encoded by the major histocompatibility complex. This has raised the question of whether T-cell recognition may depend on two separate receptors. I present here the case for a model of T-cell behaviour based on a single receptor.