Integrins in T Cell Physiology

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences 2018-02, Vol.19 (2), p.485
• Main Authors: Bertoni, Alessandra, Alabiso, Oscar, Galetto, Alessandra Silvia, Baldanzi, Gianluca
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Antigens - immunology; Cell Adhesion; Cell Differentiation - genetics; Cell Movement - genetics; Cell Movement - immunology; Cytoskeleton; Extracellular Matrix; Extravasation; Homing; Humans; Immune system; Immunological Synapses - genetics; Immunological Synapses - immunology; Immunological Synapses - metabolism; Integrins; Integrins - genetics; Integrins - metabolism; LFA-1 antigen; Life span; Lymph nodes; Lymphocyte Activation - immunology; Lymphocytes; Lymphocytes T; Organs; Physiology; Review; Signal Transduction; Synapses; T cell receptors; T-Lymphocytes - cytology; T-Lymphocytes - physiology; Thymocytes - cytology; Thymocytes - metabolism; Thymus; VLA-4 antigen
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1661-6596; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms19020485

From the thymus to the peripheral lymph nodes, integrin-mediated interactions with neighbor cells and the extracellular matrix tune T cell behavior by organizing cytoskeletal remodeling and modulating receptor signaling. LFA-1 (αLβ2 integrin) and VLA-4 (α4β1 integrin) play a key role throughout the T cell lifecycle from thymocyte differentiation to lymphocyte extravasation and finally play a fundamental role in organizing immune synapse, providing an essential costimulatory signal for the T cell receptor. Apart from tuning T cell signaling, integrins also contribute to homing to specific target organs as exemplified by the importance of α4β7 in maintaining the gut immune system. However, apart from those well-characterized examples, the physiological significance of the other integrin dimers expressed by T cells is far less understood. Thus, integrin-mediated cell-to-cell and cell-to-matrix interactions during the T cell lifespan still represent an open field of research.