Spinophilin participates in information transfer at immunological synapses.
The adaptive immune response is initiated by the presentation of peptides bound to major histocompatibility complex molecules on dendritic cells (DCs) to antigen-specific T lymphocytes at a junction termed the immunological synapse. Although much attention has been paid to cytoplasmic events on the T cell side of the synapse, little is known concerning events on the DC side. We have sought signal transduction components of the neuronal synapse that were also expressed by DCs. One such protein is spinophilin, a scaffolding protein of neuronal dendritic spines that regulates synaptic transmission. In inactive, immature DCs, spinophilin is located throughout the cytoplasm but redistributes to the plasma membrane upon stimulus-induced maturation. In DCs interacting with T cells, spinophilin is polarized dynamically to contact sites in an antigen-dependent manner. It is also required for optimal T cell activation because DCs derived from mice lacking spinophilin exhibit defects in antigen presentation both in vitro and in vivo. Thus, spinophilin may play analogous roles in information transfer at both neuronal and immunological synapses.
Bloom
Ona
O
Department of Cell Biology, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, New Haven, CT 06520, USA.
Unternaehrer
Julia J
JJ
Jiang
Aimin
A
Shin
Jeong-Sook
JS
Delamarre
Lélia
L
Allen
Patrick
P
Mellman
Ira
I
D000818:Animals; D000938:Antigen-Presenting Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000276:immunology; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D008840:Microfilament Proteins / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000276:immunology; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013569:Synapses / Q000502:physiology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D000099273:Neurabins
D008840:Microfilament Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell; D000099273:Neurabins