Frontiers in Immunology (Jul 2011)
Tubulin and actin interplay at the T cell and Antigen-presenting cell interface
Abstract
T cells reorganize their actin and tubulin-based cytoskeletons to provide a physical basis to the immune synapse. However, growing evidence shows that their roles on T cell activation are more dynamic than merely serving as tracks or scaffold for different molecules. The cross-talk between both skeletons may be important for the formation and movement of the lamella at the IS by increasing the adhesion of the T cell to the APC, thus favoring the transport of components towards the plasma membrane and in turn regulating the T-APC intercellular communication. Microtubules and F-actin appear to be essential for the transport of the different signaling microclusters along the membrane, therefore facilitating the propagation of the signal. Finally, they can also be important for regulating the endocytosis, recycling and degradation of the TCR signaling machinery, thus helping both to sustain the activated state and to switch it off.
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