Abstract
In a signaling network, not only the functions of molecules are important but when (temporal) and where (spatial) those functions are exerted and orchestrated is what defines the signaling output. To temporally and spatially modulate signaling events, cells generate specialized functional domains with variable lifetime and size that concentrate signaling molecules, enhancing their transduction potential. The plasma membrane is a key in this regulation, as it constitutes a primary signaling hub that integrates signals within and across the membrane. Here, we examine some of the mechanisms that cells exhibit to spatiotemporally regulate signal transduction, focusing on the early events of T cell activation from triggering of T cell receptor to formation and maturation of the immunological synapse.
Highlights
Complex organisms have evolved intricate molecular networks in which a single molecule can potentially participate in multiple pathways, performing signaling and/or structural roles
Clusters of T cell receptor (TCR), CD28, and TCR combined with other signaling (b) The schematic shows some of the strategies cells rely on to generate specialized membrane domains molecules like lymphocyte function-associated antigen 1 (LFA-1) are sorted into different supramolecular activation centers (SMACs) during the maturation of the synapse. (b) The and how they influence mobility of molecules within and between domains
We have examined the relevance of signaling dynamics, focusing on T cells since their fast and organized activation utilize a wide range of mechanisms for signal regulation
Summary
Complex organisms have evolved intricate molecular networks in which a single molecule can potentially participate in multiple pathways, performing signaling and/or structural roles. T cell screens its surrounding environment through active membrane protrusions, and, upon initial contact with an APC and successful recognition of the antigen presented, the area of contact between both cells increases rapidly (maximizing the area engaged in signaling). This initial contact evolves to a stable interaction that can last from minutes to hours, called the immunological synapse (IS) [8,9], after which the cells detach from each other (Figure 1a). [17,18].3, PI3K, in turn, recruitment several proteins involved in rearrangement of the actin cytoskeleton, essential for cell produces theofphosphatidylinositol. Rearrangement of the actin cytoskeleton, essential for cell polarization and formation of the IS
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