Abstract
T lymphocytes (T cells) are the major mediators of adaptive immune response. They detect pathogens primarily via the interaction of their T cell receptor (TCR) with the cognate pathogen-derived peptide displayed in the context of MHC on the infected cell. A critical step in T cell activation is the formation of immunological synapse, a specialized cell–cell conjugate interface between the T cell and infected cell, where massive TCR-induced actin remodeling and polymerization take place. Dynamic actin polymerization at the immunological synapse is essential for T cell activation and subsequently, immune response.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Babich A, Burkhardt JK (2013) Coordinate control of cytoskeletal remodeling and calcium mobilization during T-cell activation. Immunol Rev 256:80–94
Blumenthal D and Burkhardt JK (2020). Multiple actin networks coordinate mechanotransduction at the immunological synapse. J Cell Biol 219
Burkhardt JK, Carrizosa E, Shaffer MH (2008) The actin cytoskeleton in T cell activation. Annu Rev Immunol 26:233–259
Chabaud M, Paillon N, Gaus K, Hivroz C (2020) Mechanobiology of antigen-induced T cell arrest. Biol Cell 112:196–212
Colin-York H, Javanmardi Y, Skamrahl M, Kumari S, Chang VT, Khuon S, Taylor A, Chew TL, Betzig E, Moeendarbary E et al (2019) Cytoskeletal control of antigen-dependent T cell activation. Cell Rep 26(3369–3379):e3365
Colin-York H, Kumari S, Barbieri L, Cords L, Fritzsche M (2019b) Distinct actin cytoskeleton behaviour in primary and immortalised T-cells. J Cell Sci 133:jcs232322
Comrie WA, Burkhardt JK (2016) Action and traction: cytoskeletal control of receptor triggering at the immunological synapse. Front Immunol 7:68
Fritz-Laylin LK, Lord SJ, Kakley M, Mullins RD (2018) Concise language promotes clear thinking about cell shape and locomotion. BioEssays 40:e1700225
Fritzsche M, Fernandes RA, Chang VT, Colin-York H, Clausen MP, Felce JH, Galiani S, Erlenkamper C, Santos AM, Heddleston JM et al (2017) Cytoskeletal actin dynamics shape a ramifying actin network underpinning immunological synapse formation. Sci Adv 3:e1603032
Higgs HN (2011) Discussing the morphology of actin filaments in lamellipodia. Trends Cell Biol 21:2–4
Hong J, Murugesan S, Betzig E, Hammer JA (2017) Contractile actomyosin arcs promote the activation of primary mouse T cells in a ligand-dependent manner. PLoS ONE 12:e0183174
Kumari S, Curado S (1838) Mayya V and Dustin ML (2013) T cell antigen receptor activation and actin cytoskeleton remodeling. Biochim Biophys Acta 1838(2):546–56
Kumari S, Depoil D, Martinelli R, Judokusumo E, Carmona G, Gertler FB, Kam LC, Carman CV, Burkhardt JK, Irvine DJ and Dustin ML (2015). Actin foci facilitate activation of the phospholipase C-gamma in primary T lymphocytes via the WASP pathway. Elife 4
Kumari S, Mak M, Poh YC, Tohme M, Watson N, Melo M, Janssen E, Dustin M, Geha R, Irvine DJ (2020) Cytoskeletal tension actively sustains the migratory T-cell synaptic contact. EMBO J 39:e102783
Kuznetsov NV, Almuzzaini B, Kritikou JS, Baptista MAP, Oliveira MMS, Keszei M, Snapper SB, Percipalle P, Westerberg LS (2017) Nuclear Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein co-regulates T cell factor 1-mediated transcription in T cells. Genome Med 9:91
Moulding DA, Record J, Malinova D, Thrasher AJ (2013) Actin cytoskeletal defects in immunodeficiency. Immunol Rev 256:282–299
Mullins RD, Bieling P, Fletcher DA (2018) From solution to surface to filament: actin flux into branched networks. Biophys Rev 10:1537–1551
Murugesan S, Hong J, Yi J, Li D, Beach JR, Shao L, Meinhardt J, Madison G, Wu X, Betzig E, Hammer JA (2016) Formin-generated actomyosin arcs propel T cell receptor microcluster movement at the immune synapse. J Cell Biol 215:383–399
Ritter AT, Asano Y, Stinchcombe JC, Dieckmann NM, Chen BC, Gawden-Bone C, van Engelenburg S, Legant W, Gao L, Davidson MW et al (2015) Actin depletion initiates events leading to granule secretion at the immunological synapse. Immunity 42:864–876
Tsopoulidis N, Kaw S, Laketa V, Kutscheidt S, Baarlink C, Stolp B, Grosse R and Fackler OT (2019). T cell receptor-triggered nuclear actin network formation drives CD4(+) T cell effector functions. Sci Immunol 4
Acknowledgements
We thank the Koch Institute Swanson Biotechnology Center for technical support and are thankful to the Keck microscopy facility at the Whitehead Institute. This work was supported in part by the Koch Institute Support (core) Grant P30-CA14051 from the National Cancer Institute. DJI is an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of Interest
On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kumari, S., Irvine, D. Morphological Definition of Actin Architecture at the T Cell Immunological Synapse. J Indian Inst Sci 101, 47–50 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41745-020-00216-y
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41745-020-00216-y