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Supported Planar Bilayers for the Formation of Study of Immunological Synapses and Kinapse
Published on: September 15, 2008
Insights into function of the immunological synapse from studies with supported planar bilayers
1Helen L. and Martin S. Kimmel Center for Biology and Medicine in the Skirball Institute for Biomolecular Medicine and Department of Pathology, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA. michael.dustin@med.nyu.edu
Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology
|December 5, 2009
Summary
Supported lipid bilayers enable quantitative measurement of cell-cell interactions in immunity. This model system advances understanding of immune cell activation and signaling complex formation.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Biophysics
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Cell-cell communication is crucial for innate and adaptive immunity, relying on direct receptor-ligand interactions.
- Supported lipid bilayers provide a model to study molecular interactions in immunological contacts, including signal integration and effector functions.
- Understanding these interactions is key to deciphering immune cell activation and signaling complex formation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a quantitative method for measuring two-dimensional affinities and kinetic rates of cell-cell interactions using supported lipid bilayers.
- To investigate ligand-driven receptor clustering and the role of the actin cytoskeleton in immune cell activation.
- To gain insights into the organization principles of cell-cell interfaces in immunological contexts.
Main Methods:
- Utilized supported lipid bilayers on glass surfaces to mimic cell-cell contacts.
- Employed fluorescence microscopy and lateral mobility measurements within the bilayers.
- Applied modified Scatchard analysis for affinity measurements and fluorescence photobleaching for kinetic rate determination.
- Coupled measurements with a reaction-diffusion equation to calculate on- and off-rates.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated that mixtures of ligands in supported planar bilayers can effectively activate T lymphocytes.
- Enabled simultaneous monitoring of the immunological synapse during T cell activation.
- Provided quantitative measurements of ligand-driven receptor clustering and insights into the actin cytoskeleton's role.
Conclusions:
- Supported lipid bilayers offer a powerful quantitative model system for studying immune cell communication and activation.
- This approach facilitates the determination of kinetic rates and affinities crucial for understanding immunological synapses.
- The findings contribute to establishing quantitative rules for signaling complex formation in immune receptor systems.
