Butyrophilin 2A1 is essential for phosphoantigen reactivity by γδ T cells

Abstract

A weird way to recognize phosphoantigens In contrast to the well-studied αβ T cells, which recognize peptide antigens presented by major histocompatibility complex (MHC) and MHC-like molecules, how γδ T cells recognize antigens remains largely a mystery. One major class of γδ T cells, designated Vγ9Vδ2 + , is activated by small, phosphorylated nonpeptide antigens, or phosphoantigens, produced by microbes and cancer cells. Rigau et al. found that these cells needed the combination of two immunoglobulin superfamily members, butyrophilin 2A1 (BTN2A1) and BTN3A1, on their cell surface to recognize these phosphoantigens. BTN2A1 directly binds the Vγ9 + domain of the T cell receptor (TCR), whereas a second ligand, potentially BTN3A1, binds the Vδ2 and γ-chain regions on the opposite side of the TCR. A better understanding of this unexpected form of T cell antigen recognition should inform and enhance future γδ T cell–mediated immunotherapies. Science , this issue p. eaay5516