top of page
Picture1.jpg
Endocytic network of human dendritic cell upon T cell recognition.
live cell confocal lsm

Reorganization and Remodelling
of immune cells

to communicate an effective immune response

Immune cells have a short period of time to orchestrate an adequate immune response upon infection. To ensure rapid and efficient communication, antigen-presenting cells and T cells (white blood cells) have developed a unique interface that supports rapid and efficient delivery of messages upon cell-cell interaction.

We use multifarious state-of-the-art microscopy techniques to study molecular mechanisms behind this effective cell-cell communication and discovered that cognate immune cell-cell interaction drives remodelling and reorganisation of:

(1) the 3D endocytic network (transport system of cells) - Figure 1.

(2) mitochondria (energy factory inside cells) - Figure 2.

(3) the nanoscaled organization of T cell receptors ('on'-button of T cells) - Figure 3.

(4) the plasmamembrane lipid and protein composition and 3D structure at the cell-cell interface.

Currently, we are targeting the various molecular mechanisms responsible for this T cell remodelling with the aim to be able to shape the response of

(a) regulatory T cell during transplantation, and

(b) boost helper T cell function during vaccination of elderly.

 

T cell mitochondria (orange) shaped by cytoskeleton (green) next to nucleus (blue).
3D SIM
Picture2.jpg
Clusters of T cell receptor molecules
at the site of cell-cell communication. PALM
T cell actin (green) and microtubule (magenta) remodelling during cell-cell contact.
LLSM
T cell mitochondria.
Expansion microscopy
BSI - Oxford
Immunology Symposium
2024
18 March 2024
Horizon Europe association - The Royal Society
12 Feb. 2024

UPCOMING EVENTS

KIR Conference at
Said Business School
Invited speaker
11-12 July 2024 

RECENT ARTICLES

Immunological synapse formation between T regulatory cells and xancer-associated fibroblasts promotes tumour development.

A. Varvei, M. Papadopoulou, Z. Papadovasilakis, Ewoud B. Compeer, A. Legaki, A. Delis, V. Damaskou, L. Boon, S. Papadogiorgaki, M. Samiotaki, P.G. Foukas, A.G. Eliopoulos, A. Hatzioannou, T. Alissafi, M.L. Dustin and P. Verginis.

Nature Communications 2024     link to open access article

bottom of page