Cellular Immune Recognition and the Biological Role of Major Transplantation Antigens (Nobel Lecture)

In the complex balance between virus and host the T cells and the properties of the virus play an important role. The unexpected discovery of the MHC‐restricted T cell recognition (MHC = major histocompatibility complex) prompted many important investigations. Which have led to a detailed understanding on a molecular level of T cell recognition of virus‐infected target cells. As a result of these findings the immunological specificity as well as the immunological memory, and above all, pathogenesis of infectionus diseases and of autoimmunity can be better understood.