Recognition of antigens displayed on the surface of an antigen-presenting cell (APC) by T-cell receptors (TCR) of a T lymphocyte leads to the formation of a specialized contact between both cells named the immune synapse (IS). This highly organized structure ensures cell-cell communication and sustained T-cell activation. An essential lipid regulating T-cell activation is diacylglycerol (DAG), which accumulates at the cell-cell interface and mediates recruitment and activation of proteins involved in signaling and polarization. Formation of the IS requires rearrangement of the cytoskeleton, translocation of the microtubule-organizing center (MTOC) and vesicular compartments, and reorganization of signaling and adhesion molecules within the cell-cell junction. Among the multiple players involved in this polarized intracellular trafficking, we find sorting nexin 27 (SNX27). This protein translocates to the T cell-APC interface upon TCR activation, and it is suggested to facilitate the transport of cargoes toward this structure. Furthermore, its interaction with diacylglycerol kinase ζ (DGKζ), a negative regulator of DAG, sustains the precise modulation of this lipid and, thus, facilitates IS organization and signaling. Here, we review the role of SNX27, DAG metabolism, and their interplay in the control of T-cell activation and establishment of the IS.
Keywords: SNX27; diacylglycerol; diacylglycerol kinase; immune synapse; intracellular trafficking; retromer.