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T-cell activation

Polarity and CRTAM: a matter of timing

Nature Reviews Immunology volume 8, page 246 (2008)Cite this article

CRTAM is an immunoglobulin-superfamily transmembrane protein that contains a PDZ domain, indicating that it might be capable of assembling protein complexes at the cell membrane. Here, the authors showed that CRTAM is transiently expressed, between 6 and 24 hours following T-cell receptor (TCR) ligation, on the surface of ∼10–40% of naive CD4+ T cells. Compared with wild-type cells, CRTAM-deficient CD4+ T cells produced lower levels of IFNγ and IL-22 (and to a lesser extent IL-17), but similar levels of IL-4, and had a higher rate of proliferation following activation.

Within 5–30 minutes of TCR engagement, CD3, talin and other proteins such as protein kinase Cθ (PKCθ) are known to be recruited to the TCR to form the immunological synapse. By studying later time points, Yeh et al. showed that co-localization of PKCθ with CD3 is no longer maintained. Instead, CRTAM, Scrib and PKCζ co-localize with CD3 and talin at 8 and 12 hours following T-cell activation. Further analyses showed that CRTAM directly interacts with Scrib, which is known to be important in cell polarity, and that a loss of CRTAM expression resulted in a loss of T-cell polarity in this later phase of T-cell activation.

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ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER

  1. Yeh, J.-H., Sidhu, S. S. & Chan, A. C. Regulation of a late phase of T cell polarity and effector functions by Crtam. Cell 132, 846–859 (2008)

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Authors
  1. Olive Leavy
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Leavy, O. Polarity and CRTAM: a matter of timing. Nat Rev Immunol 8, 246 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/nri2308

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nri2308

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