Jurkat T cells and development of the T-cell receptor signalling paradigm

Twenty years of investigation have yielded a detailed view of the signalling machinery engaged by T-cell receptors (TCRs). Many of the fundamental insights into TCR signalling came from studies carried out with transformed T-cell lines. Perhaps the best known of these model systems is the Jurkat leukaemic T-cell line, and here we review some of the key advances in the field of TCR signalling that were made with Jurkat T cells as the host.