Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes: Target Cell Recognition and Binding

The interaction of all cells with elements of their environment involves an initial recognition event in which a genetically encoded cell surface receptor binds to a complementary environmental molecule (the ligand). The mechanisms underlying informational cell-environment interactions show an astonishing universality among all living cells, from free-living single-cell organisms through the most complex multicellular life forms where each cell is, in effect, part of a larger social structure.