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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Nature Communications 2024     link to open access article

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