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Research & Reviews: Journal of Material Sciences | ISSN: 2321-6212 | Volulme 6
November 07-08, 2018 | Atlanta, USA
Materials Science and Engineering
15
th
International Conference and Exhibition on
Applied Crystallography
3
rd
International Conference on
&
Design of lipid and peptide antigens for immune cells using X-ray crystallography
T
cells are potent effector cells of the immune systemthat control infection and tumorigenesis but can also lead to autoimmunity
when they respond too strongly to self-antigen. While the majority of T cells are specific to peptides presented by the Major
Histocompatibility Complex I and II (MHC I and II) molecules, a small population of T cells respond to lipids when presented
by the non-classical MHC I homolog CD1d. Extensive functional and structural data has been accumulated that allows for the
design of altered glycolipid ligands that modulate immune responses toward infection and tumorigenesis. We further obtained
novel insights into the unconventional presentation of peptides that allows us to design altered peptide ligands with novel
functions. The structural basis and functional consequences of both lipid and peptide antigen recognition by the immune
system will be discussed.
Biography
Dirk M Zajonc is an Associate Professor at La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology. He is experienced Associate Professor in Structural Immunology with an
interest in characterizing immune responses toward microbial pathogens. He is skilled in Protein Chemistry, including antibodies and recombinant protein production
and characterization, molecular biology, biophysics and structural biology. He has strong interest in the interplay between microbial infection, as well as cancer with
the immune system. He has published articles in various journals.
dzajonc@lji.orgDirk M Zajonc
La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, USA
Dirk M Zajonc, Res. Rev. J Mat. Sci. 2018, Volume 6
DOI: 10.4172/2321-6212-C8-034