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Updated: Jun 19, 2026

Imaging the Human Immunological Synapse
Published on: December 26, 2019
The dendritic cell side of the immunological synapse: exploring terra incognita
José Luis Rodríguez-Fernández1, Lorena Riol-Blanco, Cristina Delgado-Martín
1Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, Madrid 28040, Spain.
Abstract:
The activation and clonal expansion of naive T cells by antigen-loaded dendritic cells (DCs) in the lymph nodes is a key event during immune response. This activation involves the formation of a specialized cell-cell contact region, formed between a mature DC and a CD4 T cell, which is called immunological synapse (IS). The IS includes a DC and a T cell side that we call IS(DC) and IS(T cell), respectively. Most studies on the IS have focused on the IS(T cell) and the information gathered on the IS(DC) is sparse. However, lines of emerging evidence indicate that the IS(DC), likewise the IS(T cell), is a signaling and functional region that makes important contribution to T cell activation and immune response.
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