Final answer:
The properties of T cell receptor (TCR) include being a protein complex composed of alpha and beta chains, responsible for recognizing antigens presented by major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules, playing a crucial role in the adaptive immune response, and undergoing somatic recombination to generate a diverse repertoire of receptors.
Step-by-step explanation:
The properties of T cell receptor (TCR) are:
- It is a protein complex composed of alpha and beta chains. The TCR consists of two polypeptide chains, known as alpha and beta chains, which span the cytoplasmic membrane of the T cell.
- It is responsible for recognizing antigens presented by major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules. TCRs recognize processed foreign epitopes presented with MHC I or MHC II molecules.
- It plays a crucial role in the adaptive immune response. T cell receptors are involved in the activation and recognition of antigens, which is a fundamental process in the adaptive immune response.
- It undergoes somatic recombination to generate a diverse repertoire of receptors. TCR diversity is achieved by the mutation and recombination of genes that encode these receptors in stem cell precursors of T cells.