Full structure T-Cell receptor ligated by MHC!

 

It's easy to forget about protein 3D structure sometimes when you spend your week trying to tell linear peptide sequences apart. In the end, however, a lot of actual protein chemistry is "if this thing is open then this other thing fits in it", right? 

This stunning new study demonstrates one of the most critical parts of how MHC binding to T-cell receptors works and angles are super important! (CryoEM is getting better all the time!) 

What comes out of this study that is really interesting is how critical the base of the protein complex is and the role that lipids clearly play in facilitating the interaction between the complexes.