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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 21, 2026

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

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Published on: March 24, 2014

Cluster size regulates protein sorting in the immunological synapse.

Niña C Hartman1, Jeffrey A Nye, Jay T Groves

  • 1Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|July 23, 2009
PubMed
Summary

Protein cluster size directly impacts spatial positioning within the T cell immunological synapse (IS). Larger lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1 (LFA-1) clusters move centrally, revealing a novel sorting mechanism.

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Last Updated: Jun 21, 2026

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15:39

Studying Organelle Dynamics in B Cells During Immune Synapse Formation

Published on: June 1, 2019

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Biophysics

Background:

  • T cell activation involves the formation of the immunological synapse (IS), a specialized structure where T cells interact with antigen-presenting cells.
  • While actin polymerization drives receptor transport in the IS, the mechanisms governing protein spatial organization remain poorly understood.
  • Protein sorting within the IS is crucial for regulating T cell receptor (TCR) signal transduction.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of protein cluster size as a mechanism for spatial sorting within the T cell IS.
  • To determine how lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1 (LFA-1) clustering affects its localization in the IS.
  • To explore potential mechanisms underlying protein spatial organization in the IS.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a hybrid live T cell-supported membrane system to study IS formation.
  • Modulated the clustering state of LFA-1 through direct antibody crosslinking or ligand (ICAM-1) crosslinking.
  • Observed and quantified the spatial localization of LFA-1 within the IS.

Main Results:

  • Native LFA-1 typically localizes to the periphery of the IS, surrounding a central TCR cluster.
  • Increased LFA-1 clustering, induced by either method, led to a more central localization.
  • Highly clustered LFA-1 was observed to relocate entirely to the central zone of the IS.

Conclusions:

  • Demonstrated that protein cluster size is a direct determinant of spatial positioning within the T cell IS.
  • Proposed a sorting mechanism involving frictional coupling to the actin cytoskeleton.
  • This mechanism is potentially applicable to other cell surface proteins within the IS.