Immune synapse: conductor of orchestrated organelle movement

Abstract

SummaryTo ensure proper cell function, intracellular organelles are not randomly distributed within the cell, but polarized and highly constrained by the cytoskeleton and associated adaptor proteins. This relationship between distribution and function was originally found in neurons and epithelial cells; however, recent evidence suggests that it is a more general phenomenon that occurs in many highly specialized cells including the immune T cells. Recent studies reveal that the orchestrated redistribution of organelles is dependent on antigen specific activation and immune-synapse formation of T cells. This review highlights the functional implications of organelle polarization in early T cell activation and examines recent findings on how the immune synapse sets the rhythm of organelle motion and the spread of the activation signal to the nucleus. KeywordsImmune synapse; microcluster; signalosome; mitochondria; vesicle; microtubule Overview of the immune synapseT cell activation starts with an initial wave of signalling that depends on the activation of surface receptors, but subsequent propagation of the signal appears to depend on intracellular compartments, in a sequence driven by the actin and tubulin cytoskeletons [1]. The study of neural synapses highlighted the importance of cell polarity and the specific localization of organelles and clusters of receptors at the pre-and post-synaptic terminals. Despite its transient nature, recent evidence shows that the immune synapse (IS) shares these same neuronal features.The IS is the interface between a T lymphocyte and an antigen presenting cell (APC). During the formation and stabilization of the IS, membrane microdomains and the cytoskeleton reorganize and promote the segregation of membrane and intracellular signaling proteins within the T cell, such as the T cell receptor (TCR), integrins, tyrosine Europe PMC Funders Author ManuscriptsEurope PMC Funders Author Manuscripts kinases and scaffold proteins such as Linker for activation of T cells (LAT) (Figure 1 and Glossary). The TCR and associated molecules (TCR signalosomes) form microclusters that move to congregate in the central area (central supramolecular activation cluster; cSMAC) of the IS, whereas adhesion receptors such as integrins reorganize in a surrounding external ring called the peripheral or pSMAC ( Figure 2) [2]. In addition, phosphorylation and dephosphorylation, protein-protein interactions and degradation of important molecules such as the TCR-accompanying CD3 complex, tyrosine kinases, phosphatases and adaptor molecules also control receptor activation [3,4]. The polarization of several organelles occurs during T cell stimulation with important roles, such as the centrosome, Golgi apparatus, mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum and the multivesicular bodies (MVB) [5][6][7][8][9][10]. These rearrangements at the IS promote the activation of signaling pathways that propagate to the nucleus. Signals activating nuclear transcription factors in combination with polarity proteins, such as partit...

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