PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Kumari, Sudha
AU  - Mak, Michael
AU  - Poh, Yehchuin
AU  - Tohme, Mira
AU  - Watson, Nicki
AU  - Melo, Mariane
AU  - Janssen, Erin
AU  - Dustin, Michael
AU  - Geha, Raif
AU  - Irvine, Darrell J.
TI  - Cytoskeletal tension actively sustains the migratory T cell synaptic contact
AID  - 10.1101/437236
DP  - 2019 Jan 01
TA  - bioRxiv
PG  - 437236
4099  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2019/05/04/437236.short
4100  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2019/05/04/437236.full
AB  - When migratory T cells encounter antigen presenting cells (APCs), they arrest and form radially symmetric, stable intercellular junctions termed immunological synapses which facilitate exchange of crucial biochemical information and are critical for T cell immunity. While the cellular processes underlying synapse formation have been well-characterized, those that maintain the symmetry, and thereby the stability of the synapse remain unknown. Here we identify an antigen-triggered mechanism that actively promotes T cell synapse symmetry by generating cytoskeletal tension in the plane of the synapse through focal nucleation of actin via Wiskott -Aldrich syndrome Protein (WASP), and contraction of the resultant actin filaments by myosin II. Following T cell activation, WASP is degraded, leading to cytoskeletal rearrangement and tension decay, which result in synapse breaking. Thus, our study identifies and characterizes a mechanical program within otherwise highly motile T cells that sustains the symmetry and stability of the T cell-APC synaptic contact.