What are the differences between B cell receptor and T cell receptor?
Posted August 24, 2023
Answer
B Cell Receptor
- Is a transmembrane receptor protein that is present in multiple identical copies on the outer membrane surface of B cells
- Development is initiated by the synthesis of a functional pre-B cell receptor or pre-BCR, which is made up of 2 immunoglobulin heavy chains and 2 surrogate light chains that cooperate with signaling molecules IgA and IgB
- Is capable of recognizing soluble antigens
T Cell Receptor
- Is an antigen recognizing molecule present in multiple identical copies on the outer membrane surface of T cells
- Plays a key role in initiating an immunological response on recognizing foreign particles known as antigens
- Development occurs as a result of the recombination of genes that encode TCRs before encountering antigens
- Is not capable of recognizing and binding antigen directly
- Works by recognizing short peptide fragments of pathogen protein antigens that are bound to MHC Class I and MHC Class II molecules on the membrane surface of other cells
Additional resources