Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2014 Nov;2(11):1023-33.
doi: 10.1158/2326-6066.CIR-14-0161.

The immunological synapse

Michael L Dustin  1
Affiliations
Review

The immunological synapse

Michael L Dustin. Cancer Immunol Res. 2014 Nov.

Abstract

The molecular interactions underlying regulation of the immune response take place in a nanoscale gap between T cells and antigen-presenting cells, termed the immunological synapse. If these interactions are regulated appropriately, the host is defended against a wide range of pathogens and deranged host cells. If these interactions are disregulated, the host is susceptible to pathogens or tumor escape at one extreme and autoimmunity at the other. Strategies targeting the synapse have helped to establish immunotherapy as a mainstream element in cancer treatment. This Masters' primer will cover the basics of the immunological synapse and some of the applications to tumor immunology.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Model immunological synapse- A. Scanning electron micrograph of T cell interacting with an antigen presenting cells to provide scale for contact area only. B and C. Elevated and front on view of model for synapse focusing on interface. Color code- black- F-actin lamellipodium, blue- LFA-1-ICAM-1 adhesion, red- TCR-MHC antigen recognition and green- CD28-CD80 costim SMACs are labelled.
Figure 2
Figure 2
SMACs and representative receptor classes in immunological synapse. See text for description and citations.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Shankaran V, Ikeda H, Bruce AT, White JM, Swanson PE, Old LJ, Schreiber RD. IFNgamma and lymphocytes prevent primary tumour development and shape tumour immunogenicity. Nature. 2001;410:1107–1111. doi: 10.1038/3507412235074122 [pii] - PubMed
    1. Galon J, Costes A, Sanchez-Cabo F, et al. Type, density, and location of immune cells within human colorectal tumors predict clinical outcome. Science. 2006;313:1960–1964. doi: 313/5795/1960 [pii] 10.1126/science.1129139. - PubMed
    1. Ramsay AG, Johnson AJ, Lee AM, Gorgun G, Le Dieu R, Blum W, Byrd JC, Gribben JG. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia T cells show impaired immunological synapse formation that can be reversed with an immunomodulating drug. J Clin Invest. 2008;118:2427–2437. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Schubert DA, Gordo S, Sabatino JJ, Jr, et al. Self-reactive human CD4 T cell clones form unusual immunological synapses. J Exp Med. 2012;209:335–352. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kupfer A, Singer SJ. The specific interaction of helper T cells and antigen-presenting B cells IV. Membrane and cytoskeletal reorganizations in the bound T cell as a function of antigen dose. J. Exp. Med. 1989;170:1697–1713. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types