Abstract
Immunological synapse formation is usually assumed to require antigen recognition by T cell receptors. However, the immunological synapse formed at the interface between naïve T cells and dendritic cells (DCs) has never been described. We show here that in the absence of antigen, and even of major histocompatibility complex molecules, T cell–DC synapses are formed and lead to several T cell responses: a local increase in tyrosine phosphorylation, small Ca2+ responses, weak proliferation and long-term survival. These responses are triggered more readily in CD4+ T cells than in CD8+ T cells, which express a specific isoform of the repulsive molecule CD43. These phenomena may play a major role in the maintenance of the naïve T cell pool in vivo.
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Acknowledgements
We thank C. Randriamampita, G. Bismuth, E. Donnadieu and O. Lantz for helpful discussions and comments on the manuscript and I. Bouchaert and N. Lebrun for help with confocal microscopy and flow cytometry acquisition. Supported by the European community TMR program (M. S.), the Association pour la Recherche sur le Cancer (P. R.) and grants from CNRS and the Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer.
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Revy, P., Sospedra, M., Barbour, B. et al. Functional antigen-independent synapses formed between T cells and dendritic cells. Nat Immunol 2, 925–931 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/ni713
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ni713
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