TCR Reactivity in Human Nickel Allergy Indicates Contacts with Complementarity-Determining Region 3 but Excludes Superantigen-Like Recognition

Abstract excerpt

Nickel is the most common inducer of contact sensitivity in humans. We previously found that overrepresentation of the TCRBV17 element in Ni-induced CD4+ T cell lines of Ni-allergic patients relates to the severity of the disease. Amino acid sequences of these beta-chains suggested hypothetical contact points for Ni2+ ions in complementarity-determining region (CDR) 1 and CDR3. To specifically address the...