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Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Visualization of the Immunological Synapse by Dual Color Time-gated Stimulated Emission Depletion (STED) Nanoscopy
10:00

Visualization of the Immunological Synapse by Dual Color Time-gated Stimulated Emission Depletion (STED) Nanoscopy

Published on: March 25, 2014

[The immunological synapse: an exclusive zone for directed cell death after specific recognition]

E Reits1, J Neefjes

  • 1Nederlands Kanker Instituut/Antoni van Leeuwenhoek ziekenhuis, divisie Tumorbiologie, Plesmanlaan 121, 1066 CX Amsterdam.

Nederlands Tijdschrift Voor Geneeskunde
|June 26, 2003
PubMed

Cytotoxic T lymphocytes or killer cells are an important part of the immune system. These cells move through the body while their T cell receptors initiate low affinity contacts with MHC class I proteins (also termed transplantation antigens) on other cells. If there is a specific interaction between the T cell receptor and MHC class I molecule, then that cell is killed. This happens with virus-infected cells but also with tumour cells, during transplant rejection and in various autoimmune diseases. The immunological synapse is a sealed area generated by the killer cell in order to selectively kill a particular cell. The cytotoxic content of the killer cell is released into this area.

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