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
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
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