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Updated: Aug 7, 2026

Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of the Immune Synapse in the Human System Using Imaging Flow Cytometry
Published on: January 7, 2019
The dendritic cell cytoskeleton is critical for the formation of the immunological synapse
M M Al-Alwan1, G Rowden, T D Lee
1Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Abstract:
The binding of a T cell to an APC results in T cell actin cytoskeletal rearrangement leading to the formation of an immunological synapse. The APC cytoskeleton has been thought to play a passive role in this process. In this study, we demonstrate that dendritic cells (DC), unlike other APC, actively polarize their actin cytoskeleton during interaction with T cells. DC cytoskeletal rearrangement was critical for both the clustering and the activation of resting T cells. This study provides compelling evidence that the APC cytoskeleton plays an active role in the immunological synapse and may explain the unique ability of DC to activate resting T cells.
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