Cytoskeletal remodeling in lymphocyte activation

Curr Opin Immunol. 2003 Jun;15(3):261-8. doi: 10.1016/s0952-7915(03)00054-2.

Abstract

The formerly distinct fields of lymphocyte signal transduction and cytoskeletal remodeling have recently become linked, as proteins involved in transducing signals downstream of lymphocyte antigen receptors have also been implicated in actin cytoskeleton remodeling, microtubule dynamics and regulation of cell polarity. These discoveries have fuelled interest in understanding both the role of the actin cytoskeleton as an integral component of lymphocyte activation and the interplay between lymphoid cell-cell contact sites (immunological synapse), retractile pole structures (uropod, distal pole complex), and Rho-family GTPases (Rac, Rho, Cdc42), their upstream activators (Dbl-family guanine nucleotide exchange factors) and their downstream effectors (WASp, Arp2/3, ADAP). To understand how these complex regulatory networks are wired, a new breed of computational biologists uses mathematical language to reproduce and simulate signaling circuits 'in silico'.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Actin Cytoskeleton / metabolism*
  • Animals
  • Antigen-Presenting Cells / immunology
  • Cell Communication / immunology
  • Cell Cycle Proteins*
  • Lymphocyte Activation*
  • Lymphocytes / immunology
  • Lymphocytes / ultrastructure*
  • Models, Biological
  • Neurofibromin 2 / metabolism
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins / metabolism
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-vav
  • Signal Transduction
  • rho GTP-Binding Proteins / physiology

Substances

  • Cell Cycle Proteins
  • Neurofibromin 2
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-vav
  • rho GTP-Binding Proteins