title: Analysis of T Cell Activation by Confocal Microscopy.
abstract: Antigen-recognition by T cells requires the physical association with an antigen presenting cell (APC). At the interface between a T cell and an APC, the orchestrated redistribution of lipids, membrane receptors, and intracellular adaptors assembles a highly specialized junction, controlling the communication between the two cells, named the immunologic synapse (IS). The proper organization of the IS is a key step in host defense. Indeed, an appropriate T cell-APC interaction ensures the elimination of a wide range of pathogens and aberrant cells, whereas a deregulated IS formation leads to pathological situations such as infections, tumor development, or autoimmunity. Over the last decades T-cell scientists pioneered new imaging approaches to investigate IS assembly and organization. Microscopy techniques enable researchers to directly monitor, in space and time, the dynamics regulating T cell activation.In this chapter, we describe in detail different microscopy protocols to visualize and analyze the recruitment of different molecules and organelles at the IS.
authors: Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan, Milan, Italy. larghi@ingm.org.|Istituto Nazionale Genetica Molecolare 'Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi', INGM, Milan, Italy. larghi@ingm.org.
authors: Paola
authors: P
authors: Larghi
authors: Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.|Venetian Institute of Molecular Medicine, VIMM, Padua, Italy.
authors: Antonella
authors: A
authors: Viola
authors: Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.|Venetian Institute of Molecular Medicine, VIMM, Padua, Italy.
authors: Barbara
authors: B
authors: Molon
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000938:Antigen-Presenting Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D002469:Cell Separation / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D054992:Immunological Synapses / Q000276:immunology; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal / Q000379:methods*; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell
keywords: Antigen presenting cells; Calcium flux; Immunologic synapse; Microscopy; T cells