TCRβ (H57-597) Hamster mAb (PE Conjugate) #77077

The αβ T Cell Receptor (TCR) is a heterodimer composed of an alpha chain and a beta chain expressed on the surface of T cells (1,2). It detects peptide antigen presented by major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules (1,2). Detection of cognate antigen leads to activation of the TCR signaling pathway through the CD3 signaling chains that associate with the TCR (1). The TCR chains are made up of a constant region and variable regions that get rearranged during T cell development in the thymus (3). There are two TCRβ constant genes, TRBC1 and TRBC2 (3). A population of normal T cells is polyclonal and contains a mix of TRBC1- and TRBC2-expressing T cells, while T cell malignancies are monoclonal and all express the same TCR which either contains TRBC1 or TRBC2 (4). Therefore, it is possible that T cell malignancies could be identified and targeted with reagents or therapies that can distinguish between TRBC1 and TRBC2 (4).
The H57-597 antibody is widely used as a phenotypic marker for T cells expressing the αβ TCR. This antibody does not cross-react with γδ TCR (5).