Genetic analysis of integrin activation in T lymphocytes

• Published in: Immunological reviews Vol. 186; no. 1; pp. 172 - 188
• Main Authors: Kellermann, Sirid-Aimée, Dell, Cheryl L., Hunt III, Stephen W., Shimizu, Yoji
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Munksgaard International Publishers 01.08.2002
• Subjects: Animals; CD3 Complex - immunology; Humans; Integrins - genetics; Lymphocyte Activation; Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell - immunology; Receptors, Immunologic - immunology; Signal Transduction - immunology; T-Lymphocytes - immunology
• ISSN: 0105-2896; 1600-065X
• DOI: 10.1034/j.1600-065X.2002.18615.x

Among the myriad receptors expressed by T cells, the sine qua non is the CD3/T cell receptor (CD3/TCR) complex, because it is uniquely capable of translating the presence of a specific antigen into intracellular signals necessary to trigger an immune response against a pathogen or tumor. Much work over the past 2 decades has attempted to define the signaling pathways leading from the CD3/TCR complex that culminate ultimately in the functions necessary for effective T cell immune responses, such as cytokine production. Here, we summarize recent advances in our understanding of the mechanisms by which the CD3/TCR complex controls integrin‐mediated T cell adhesion, and discuss new information that suggests that there may be unexpected facets to this pathway that distinguish it from those previously defined.