Author here: Because T cell receptors (TCRs) that recognize antigens can drive cytotoxic and other T cell responses, autoreactive TCRs that recognize autoantigens can drive the destruction of healthy cells and tissues with those autoantigens. Autoreactive TCRs are removed by T cell receptor selection, which protects against autoimmune diseases. We combined high-throughput TCR sequencing and machine learning to identify which TCRs are removed by T cell selection. Our trained machine learning models may therefore be able to identify autoreactive TCRs that can drive the destruction of healthy cells and tissues.
Open-access link: https://rdcu.be/cmt4E