The T-cell receptor (TCR) consists of a disulfide-linked heterodimer of the highly variable α and β chains expressed at the cell membrane as a complex with the invariant CD3 chains. T cells carrying this type of receptor are often called α:β T cells. An alternative receptor made up of variable γ and δ chains is expressed with CD3 on a subset of T cells. Both of these receptors are expressed with a disulfide-linked homodimer of ζ chains.