| Citation | Peter Doherty is distinguished through having, with Rolf M. Zinkernagel, been the first to describe the important phenomenon of "MHC (major histocompatibility antigen) restriction" in T lymphocyte-cell interactions. In particular, they showed that T lymphocyte mediated killing of virally-infected cells requires the "killer" and "target" cells to share the same class I (major histocompatibility) antigens. Their discovery provided the first compelling insight into the function of class I antigens, namely self-recognition in T-cell interactions. It also provided the stimulus for a profusion of related studies which notably led to the description of the role of class II (major histocompatibility) antigens in mediating interactions between T helper/suppressor and antigen-presenting cells. His studies have made outstanding contributions to anti-viral immunity and the comprehension of the basis of recognition between immunocompetent cells. |